Of Lies and Secrets
by Belles7
Summary: The handsome Uchiha asked, "You are a rogue ninja, are you not?" The green-eyed kunoichi replied, "Uh, hello, am I in the bingo books? No. I didn't think so." "We're taking you to Konoha," Sasuke remarked. Whirling around to look at the other Uchiha, she demanded, "Look, I am not a missing-nin or a rogue!...Wait, aren't they the same thing?" [NON-MASSACRE]
1. Chapter 1

**Of Lies and Secrets**

* * *

***Chapter 1: First Encounter**

* * *

**NORMAL POV: **

**18 years ago…**

Konoha erupted in chaos at the claws of the unleashed Kyuubi. Civilians rushed to safety. Shinobis of Konohagakure fought endlessly against the destructive monster. Dead bodies lay scattered on the streets of Konoha.

The fourth Hokage scanned the streets, searching for Kushina and their new born baby. Spotting the wounded Kushina, Minato shouted, "Kushina, wait, I'm coming. I'll save you and Naruto." He rushed to aid her, having already formulated a plan which included his new-born infant.

Uchiha Mikoto hurried out of the prestigious clan's compound, carrying her second son. An infant he was, Mikoto hushed her baby and cooed it to sleep. Appearing next to his mother's side, Uchiha Itachi stated, "Okaa-san, please go to the safety shelter with Sasuke."

Nodding, Mikoto rushed away. She was proud of her oldest son. Itachi vanished into thin air, suspicious of the mastermind. Who was it? Who could have unleashed the Kyuubi upon Konoha?

Meanwhile, Haruno Mebuki swept her only daughter into her secure arms before exiting their house. Barging into the foyer after kicking the door down, Haruno Kizashi shouted, "Mebuki, grab Sakura and go. The house is burning down."

"I'm coming, Kizashi. That bastard won't touch my baby," Mebuki hissed, dodging a piece of the collapsed ceiling. Kizashi nodded and muttered, "He'll have to get through me first, Mebuki; don't worry."

Mebuki nodded and suggested, "Let's get out of here while we can." She performed the summoning seals, summoned a blue dragon and ordered, "Emi, take us away from this place."

The blue dragon glanced around as the Haruno family climbed on and questioned, "Who let the Kyuubi out?"

Seeing several burning buildings and homes, Emi extinguished the flames with an exhale of water and flew away. There had been a man after the Haruno family, the last remaining members of the almost extinct clan.

Kizashi glanced back at the havoc in Konoha and noticed a person standing in front of the stone-carved heads of the past and present Hokages. Wearing a mask, the man was cloaked in dark fabric before he disappeared into thin air.

"Where should we go, Mebuki?" Emi asked, soaring smoothly in the night sky. Mebuki stared ahead quietly and answered, "Let us go to Iwagakure."

Nodding, Emi flew to the land of the Earth and headed straight for the hidden village.

* * *

**Present…**

"It's been about five years since I became the Hokage," Tsunade stated quietly, gazing out the large, clear window in her empty office.

"I wonder how Sakura's doing," Tsunade muttered before whirling around in her rolly chair and glancing at the calendar. Amber eyes were filled with hope and concern as she remembered her first encounter with the girl.

Tsunade was walking around the streets of Iwagakure, getting some fresh air after exiting a gambling building. Shizune demanded that she should stop gambling and go rest. And when she had refused to comply, Shizune surprisingly drugged her drink- not with poison, just something to knock the blonde sannin out for a while- and managed to drag the unconscious sannin into their reserved inn room.

When Tsunade had woken up, she charged for the door and found it locked tightly. Grumpy but still possessing her sanity, Tsunade refrained from punching the door down. The last time she did, she was fined with a great fee.

Sneaking out the window like a rebellious teen, Tsunade dropped onto the street professionally and walked away with her hands tucked into her pockets. She chuckled to herself as she imagined Shizune's furious expression when she found a piece of log lying in the bed.

Sensing several chakra presences, Tsunade stopped and stared down an alley.

A young girl with dark, shoulder-length hair rushed through the alley. Wiping her blood-stained hands onto her dark skirt, the green-eyed girl hastily performed some seals and muttering something softly. A strong gust of wind smashed into the group of older shinobis, slicing them as they were stuck in the mini-tornado.

The petite but fast girl rushed past the standing Tsunade and ran away. Walking over to the group of unconscious men, Tsunade bent down and checked their pulse. The girl hadn't killed them but she managed to knock them out for a good period of time.

Concerned, Tsunade trailed after the young girl. She looked around the age of ten.

Hopping onto a branch, the young girl leapt at an incredible speed. Stopping to look around, the girl thought that she felt another chakra presence. Narrowing her green eyes, she sped off again at an even faster rate.

Keeping up with the girl, Tsunade cloaked her presence the instant she saw the girl tense up. Hiding behind a tree, Tsunade thought to herself that the girl was pretty advanced for her age.

Landing down in front of a cottage-looking house, the girl turned around and stated, "Oi, I know you're there. Show yourself."

As the girl landed, Tsunade revealed her presence and appeared as the girl stated for her to reveal herself. Holding two hands up, Tsunade calmly replied, "I'm only here because I figured that you'd need help."

Staring at the blond sannin, the girl stated, "I probably will need your help."

Turning back onto her heels, the girl ran into the house and Tsunade chased after her. Seeing the sight of her severely wounded parents, the girl dropped onto her knees, grabbed her father's wrist and checked his pulse.

Lying next to the father was her dead mother.

Entering the damaged place, Tsunade's amber eyes widened as she recognized the family.

"Otou-san, w-what happened here?" the girl asked in a shaky voice. Tears blinded her jade eyes, but she hardened her stare to prevent the tears from falling.

"Okaa-san's dead," the girl stated, father looked up at his tiny daughter and soothed, "Sakura, don't worry. We'll be fine. Just do what I told you to do, okay?"

Live. Survive. Sakura nodded once.

"The man found us after your mother told you to leave. He killed her and severely wounded me, Sakura. You must be careful from now on. He will come for you in time; do not accept anything from him, none of his offers," Kizashi ordered.

Glancing at her dying father, the young Sakura nodded stiffly and asked, "I can try healing you?" She quickly positioned her hands in front of his wound but before she could pour chakra into her soft hands, he rejected, "No, Sakura, don't heal me. I'm going to die soon."

Shaking her head, Sakura denied in an uncontrollable voice, "N-no, you're not going to d-die, Otou-san."

The man simply smiled, caressing her black hair and muttered, "I wish we didn't have to do this to your pretty hair. I loved your hair when it was pink, but you still look awesome."

Nodding, Sakura replied, "I love my hair pink, too. Mom only used the jutsu to disguise me, Otou-san."

"And make your pretty pink hair turn black?" Kizashi remarked lightly; he felt the need to protect his daughter just as his wife did. Sakura smiled back and suggested, "Isn't there a time period for the jutsu to wear off? Maybe then I can get my pink hair back?"

Chuckling, the father replied, "This is the first time the jutsu's been used so I'm not really sure how this works, Sakura. But I'm sure you'll figure it out, sweetie." He coughed harshly, spitting out blood.

Sakura bowed her head, shaking as she cried silently. She silently prayed for her father to not die. He couldn't leave her like her mother. This was all a dream.

She pinched herself and opened her eyes. Her father was dead. His limp hand in her puny hands.

Shaking her head, Sakura pinched herself again and opened her eyes, only to see the gory sight. Rubbing her eyes ferociously as tears began to cascade down her pale cheeks. She couldn't believe that her parents were dead.

Finding the strength to pinch her one last time, Sakura chided to herself that she had to be strong even if they were dead. If she died, then she would never forgive herself. She would survive and find the murder.

She didn't know how long she sat there, crying and moping for her dead parents. But sometime later, Tsunade had sat next to her and stated, "I knew your parents when they were still in Konoha."

Staring at the blonde lady, Sakura said mildly, "I was born in Konoha before we moved here."

Nodding thoughtfully, Tsunade remembered something about Mebuki being pregnant. And now, she was sitting with the woman's child. How did time manage to fly by so fast?

"Let's take care of them properly, Sakura," Tsunade suggested. Glancing at the sannin, Sakura agreed, "You're right."

Standing up, Tsunade stated, "You can call me Tsunade-sama."

"Tsunade-sama," Sakura repeated, standing up as she gazed at her deceased parents.

A bit later, Tsunade stood with the tiny Sakura as they both watched the Haruno couple's body burn to ashes.

"Why did they want their bodies to be burned, Sakura?" Tsunade asked, staring down at the girl.

"So that the man wouldn't be able to use their bodies," Sakura replied, still staring at the burning bodies. She had replied in such a mature manner.

After that happened, Tsunade had taken Sakura as her apprentice even though she was only the age of ten. The emerald-eyed girl was a genius when it came to medical ninjutsu. Tsunade not only trained her in medical ninjutsu but also Taijutsu along with other areas.

Since then, Tsunade, Shizune and Sakura had all been traveling together. However, Sakura had only stayed for three years.

Around the age of thirteen, Sakura had disappeared as Jiraiya and Naruto soon found Tsunade's location. Persuading Tsunade to leave her gambling life and become the next Hokage of Konoha, Tsunade left for Konoha with Naruto and Jiraiya.

Pulling herself out of her reminiscent reverie, Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples. She feared for Sakura's safety and just wished that the independent girl would give her any sign of her existence.

Shizune entered with an armful stack of paperwork.

* * *

Finishing her fight with the rogue ninja, Sakura sighed and muttered, "I told you not to pick a fight with me. Today, I was feeling rather grumpy."

Walking away from the unconscious ninja, Sakura smiled to herself. Not only did she win, but she managed to pick up one of his jutsus. And it happened to be an earth style.

A while later, ANBU members from Iwagakure rushed to the scene and captured the rogue ninja. One of the new-comers, wearing a cat-like mask, muttered, "Eh, this is third time that a rogue ninja's been found unconscious."

"It doesn't matter as long as the rogue is found then that is good enough," another ANBU replied.

Little did they know that Sakura had been responsible for providing them with unconscious rogues.

* * *

Jumping from tree to tree in a relaxed pattern, Sakura raced a pale hand through her black hair. She managed to find something important about the jutsu after all these years of wandering around freely.

During the daytime, her hair was black and when the sun went down, her hair changed back into her original pink hair. It was a bit odd, but at least she had some sort of information on her mother's unknown jutsu.

Dropping down from the branch and still in mid-air, Sakura grabbed another branch and launching herself high up into the air. She looked like an acrobat from the way she flung herself flexibly.

Perched on the tip of a tree, Sakura scanned the area before peering up at the fluffy clouds that floated in the blue sky. Closing her emerald eyes, Sakura breathed in the air and tossed herself off the tree.

Letting herself free fall, Sakura watched as she dropped closer to the green ground. It would hurt a lot if she smashed down into the ground from such height.

Feeling the wind whip her dark and short hair back, Sakura smiled a bit at the sudden rush of adrenaline as she became too close to the ground. Forming seals for her wind jutsu, Sakura felt an invisible gust of wind underneath her as she landed onto the grass softly.

Lying on the soft grass, Sakura could feel the grass tickle her bare legs. Wearing a light pink skirt with dark shorts underneath and a black shirt with cut off sleeves, Sakura pushed herself up and sighed.

At times like this, she missed Tsunade and Shizune bickering about where to go. Remembering the day she left, Sakura laid back down and tucked her hands behind her neck.

She had only stayed three years with Tsunade and Shizune before disappearing. After many encounters with evil pursuers, Sakura decided to leave Tsunade and Shizune, fearing for their safety.

Being a thirteen year old girl at the time, she was underestimated by many of her chasers. Not only did she possess advanced medical skills, she was extremely strong in Taijutsu and chakra control. Dispelling Genjutsu was a natural talent for her.

But that didn't mean that she was never injured. In fact, one time she received some blows that severely injured her. After that fight, she really understood that she wouldn't survive if she couldn't save herself from being inflicted by others.

Sharpening her abilities, she became a lot more critical during fights. And now, she was an eighteen year old kunoichi with well rounded and even more advanced skills.

Standing up, Sakura decided to stop day dreaming about the past and roam again. Besides, she needed to go buy a cloak.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Of Lies and Secrets"**

**PLEASE REVIEW :) **

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A/N: I had a sudden plot come into my mind and then I was itching to type it up. Anyways, what do you think? Please review.


	2. Chapter 2

**Of Lies and Secrets**

* * *

***Chapter 2: Her Ways of Getting Around**

* * *

**NORMAL POV:**

**3 years ago…**

"Kabuto, have you finally located the girl?" Orochimaru asked. With his head declined respectfully, Kabuto answered, "Yes, Orochimaru-sama. I've located her whereabouts. Rumors say that she has a temper though."

"Indeed, she is Tsunade's apprentice," Orochimaru commented before licking his lips with a slimy tongue.

"Shall we go?" Kabuto asked cautiously. He did not want to upset Orochimaru for the legendary sannin and missing-nin had been easily angered the past several days. It was probably due to frustration from being unable to use his sealed arms and hands.

The third Hokage managed to seal the snake-like sannin's hands and arms with a forbidden jutsu in return for his life. Although Orochimaru was unsatisfied with not achieving Uchiha Sasuke's glorious body, he was glad that Konoha was disorganized and in destruction.

As Orochimaru sauntered past him, Kabuto followed the sannin as they headed to the young but advanced kunoichi.

At the time, Sakura was fifteen. She was roaming around in the Tea Country, unaware of Orochimaru's plans.

Walking in town, Sakura took a bite out of her dango and shivered in delight at the sweet taste. She had always been one for sweet things. During the day her hair was black and as night came upon, her hair would morph back into the normal pink hair.

Sighing, Sakura wondered if she would ever get her hair back to normal.

A few hours later when she was crossing a bridge, Sakura noticed the Leaf missing-nin and his accomplice. Orochimaru was well known for his experiments and hatred towards Konoha.

Not wanting to get sucked into his problems, Sakura walked on the opposite side as she silently hoped to avoid them. Smirking, Kabuto stood in her way.

With a big gap between them, Sakura simply stared at the man with glasses before turning back the other way to leave. She hoped that things wouldn't escalate into a serious fight.

"Orochimaru-sama requires your attention, Sakura-san," Kabuto exclaimed. Turning around to look at the sannin's accomplice, Sakura rejected, "I do not wish to mingle with your issues."

"Eh? I guess, we'll have to make you then," Kabuto threatened. They were so close to healing Orochimaru's arms. He couldn't stop now; he would make sure that Sakura would cure the sannin's arms.

"I told you that I do not wish to participate with you. In fact, if you came here seeking medical help, you came to the wrong person. I am not that advanced," Sakura informatively reasoned. She hoped that she sounded believable.

Glaring at the black-haired kunoichi through his glasses, Kabuto took a step and raised his chakra-filled hands, ready to strike. Narrowing her green eyes, Sakura instantly realized that he was an advanced medic.

A soft laugh escape from her lips, Sakura proclaimed, "I will take my leave now. Have a great day, you two. Go drink some tea after all this is the land of Tea."

Twitching in anger, Kabuto charged at the young kunoichi and sent his chakra hands flying at her. How could she sound so blunt? Did she not know who she was standing in front of?

Turning around, Sakura landed a swift and brutal kick on the man with chakra applied onto the bottom of her sandals.

"I'm not kidding when I say that I reject your offer," Sakura remarked and disappeared.

Kabuto had crashed into the cement part of the bridge. Coughing blood from the sudden impact, Kabuto muttered some curses at the kunoichi.

Orochimaru snickered quietly and suggested, "Perhaps we should give the apprentice some time and come back within a year or two. By then, she must have advanced in her medical skills."

Quickly healing his outside injuries, Kabuto smirked while getting up and muttered, "I'd really like to teach her a lesson."

As soon as Sakura disappeared, she immediately left the Tea Country.

* * *

**Present…**

A series of knocking noises were heard before Tsunade stated loudly, "Come in."

Taking off his mask before entering, Itachi stood in front of the Hokage and handed her the report while informing, "It was a success, Hokage-sama. However, the rogue ninjas were unconscious when we found them which made it easy to capture them."

Intrigued, Tsunade raised a brow and questioned, "And how did that happen? The ANBU from Iwagakure were experiencing the same issues with the rogues there, too."

"I interrogated one of them once they woke up. He said that they had gotten into a fight before we came," Itachi answered.

Tsunade nodded, prodding for him to continue.

"It happens that the person they fought was a girl," Itachi stated. Suspicious, Tsunade questioned, "Was she a missing-nin?"

"They were not sure. She did not have a hitai-ate. The rogue described her as slender, black-haired, green-eyed and short tempered," Itachi replied.

Standing up, Tsunade ordered, "I think I might know who it is. Did you bring them to Ibiki?"

"Yes, he is in the middle of interrogating them currently," Itachi responded. Tsunade nodded and commanded, "Go find Team Kakashi and bring your ANBU squad, Uchiha."

"I will take my leave then, Hokage-sama," Itachi stated, vanishing.

Tsunade suddenly felt giddy. If her speculations were correct, that would mean that the girl who had beaten the rogue ninjas was Sakura. Who else had black hair and green eyes? Not to forget her ill-temper.

Gazing out the transparent window, Tsunade knew that Sakura must be in the fire country. After all, the ANBU mission had taken place within the Fire Country. She was going to find her long-lost apprentice and bring her back home.

* * *

In the middle of training, Naruto and Sasuke stopped fighting as Itachi approached Team 7 with his usual and unreadable expression. Kakashi closed his book, pushed himself off the tree and stated, "Okay, you two, training is done. It appears that the Hokage needs us."

The masked jonin had come to realize that any time the older Uchiha came to them was usually through the order of Tsunade.

"Hatake is correct. Hokage-sama would like to see us," Itachi stated before turning away to leave.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and asked gleefully, "A mission, maybe?"

Sasuke shrugged and stared at his older brother's retreating figure. Was he assigned the same mission then?

* * *

With Team 7 and Itachi's ANBU squad standing in front of her, Tsunade turned around to look at them. They all noticed a hopeful, glimmering glint in her amber eyes.

Naruto gulped and asked, "Baa-chan, why are you so excited?"

Kakashi nodded and thought to himself that she was probably happy about the new sake that was being sold. People said that it tasted great and refreshing. But then again, you couldn't always take people's words. They might just have bad taste buds.

Sasuke shook his head at Naruto and muttered, "It has to do with the mission, Dobe."

Smiling, Tsunade replied, "Team Kakashi, if you manage to bring back the target alive then I will promote your team as an official ANBU squad."

Sasuke's eyes widened but quickly narrowed in suspicion. Noticing his puzzled stare, Tsunade asked, "Do you not want to be an ANBU squad?"

"That is not the problem, Hokage-sama. I'm just curious as of why you are letting us become a squad when we applied a long time ago. An ANBU squad consists of three members asides from the captain," Sasuke explained. Naruto nodded along with Kakashi.

Chuckling at bit, Tsunade answered, "Because this mission's target will become your new teammate, Team 7."

"What? We're getting a new team member?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"When do we start?" Sasuke asked. Kakashi could sense that the younger Uchiha was eager to get the team promoted as an ANBU squad.

Naruto smirked and clapped his hands together. Shisui glanced at Itachi, curious of the mission.

Tsunade shook her head and handed the scroll to Itachi while informing, "The mission starts as soon as you leave this office. Itachi is the captain for this mission."

Glancing at the scroll, Itachi read the not-so-informing piece of paper and asked, "This is barely any information, Hokage-sama."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Tsunade replied, "I know, it isn't enough, Uchiha. That's why I'm going to tell you what you're up against. This is confidential information. No leaking is allowed or else you will suffer the consequences, got it?" She smiled bitterly, threatening them.

Interested, Genma asked, "Tell us, Hokage-sama."

Flexing her fingers, Tsunade replied, "You will be going on a mission to retrieve my long-lost apprentice."

"EH? Long-lost apprentice?" everyone shouted, except for the Uchiha brothers and Kakashi.

Shisui was surprised and asked, "You have an apprentice?"

Tsunade nodded and informed, "She disappeared a long time ago. If I remember correctly, she left a little before I was going to become the Hokage."

Nodding, Itachi summed up, "So you want us to find her and bring her back alive?"

It shouldn't be that hard, right? After all it was six against one.

"Hn," Sasuke muttered, crossing his arms. Tsunade warned, "Do not mess with her. She seems to have an ill-temper from what I've heard, possibly worse than mine."

"Baa-chan, don't worry it's not _that_ bad. What's the worst that could happen?" Naruto asked, waving a hand.

"I'll let you all figure that out," Tsunade retorted, shooing them with a hand as she added, "I'm positive that her skills have definitely increased throughout the years. The last time I saw her was when she was thirteen."

Whirling around to look at them, Tsunade ordered, "Hurry up, she doesn't stay in one place forever. Heck, she's probably been all over the place by now. Remember, if you don't find her, Team 7 will not be promoted to ANBU and Itachi's squad will have this failure recorded down into history."

As they turned to leave, Itachi stopped and asked, "Hokage-sama, what is the target's name?"

Sighing, Tsunade answered, "Haruno Sakura."

Keeping his expression blank, Itachi mused to himself if the apprentice was from the supposedly extinct clan. Perhaps, she had survived? Or maybe it was just a mere coincidence?

* * *

"Yosh, Sasuke-Teme, we're going to find Baa-chan's apprentice and drag her back to Konoha whether she wants to or not," Naruto prepped with fists in the air.

Sasuke smirked and muttered, "We better not fail."

Kakashi was busy reading his perverted book, following his two students as they followed Itachi's squad.

* * *

After taking a warm shower, Sakura was sitting on the bed dressed in her usual clothing. The black shirt with cut off sleeves, dark shorts with a light pink skirt over it, she wore her light pink elbow protectors.

Sensing unwanted chakra presences lingering in the inn, Sakura slipped on the normal shinobi sandals before slipping out the window with her dark cloak.

Rushing through the forest of the Fire Country dressed in her black cloak, Sakura sighed out loud. She wanted to get some more sleep even though she had already been sleeping earlier.

Tugging on her black gloves, the kunoichi could feel her blood boiling. Her normal chasers were pursuing her again.

Leading them to the place that she prepared earlier, Sakura smirked as she wondered silently if they could identify her traps.

"Oi, Kunoichi, why don't you just come back with us to Sound?" one of them shouted behind her.

Sakura sped up, punching a tree without the use of any chakra. The tree quickly fell as she rushed off.

The kunoichi pulled out some wires from inside of her cloak. Forming a bunshin, the real Sakura and her clone dived to the left and right side. Tying the transparent wire around the trees, Sakura attached miniature bombs that she made into the shape of leaves to the clear wires. The leaf-shaped bombs camouflaged perfectly with the real leaves.

The bunshin poofed away which saved Sakura some chakra thankfully.

Standing back, Sakura gazed approvingly at her trap and hurried off to the area where she had already set her ambush in place.

The first Sound ninja was stuck under the tree; his leg was pinned underneath the heavy tree. Then, a group of about five sound ninjas were caught in Sakura's 'invisible' bomb trap.

After the huge explosion, they all lied on the ground either dead or barely alive.

"Tch, how could you fall for these simple traps?" Kabuto stated disgustingly before heading towards the kunoichi.

* * *

"Oi, what was that?" Naruto asked, peering in the direction of the explosion. They were deep inside of the forest.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto and stated, "It has to be the Hokage's apprentice."

Agreeing, Genma added, "It probably is. I wonder what's happening?"

"Let us hurry before anything happens; this is still the Fire territory, so we are obliged to protect the area," Itachi reasoned. Kakashi summoned Paku who ran up ahead sniffing for unknown scents.

Running back to Kakashi, Paku informed, "There are sound ninjas here. All of them are wounded."

"All of them?" Shisui asked, bewildered and added, "How?"

"It seems like they fell into some sort of traps," Paku answered before poofing away. Rubbing his neck, Kakashi muttered, "It looks like the apprentice is good with traps."

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other.

* * *

Approaching the unconscious sound ninjas, Itachi counted six of them. Five were inflicted with injuries from what appeared to be from paper bombs and there was one pinned underneath the tree.

Naruto gasped a bit when he saw the tree and muttered, "Damn, Baa-chan was right. She's definitely ill-tempered."

Sasuke stared at the tree that had a large-fist dent. Yikes, their new teammate was capable of this?

Shisui smirked at the two members of Team 7 before commenting, "Looks like you two will have a _great_ time with the apprentice."

Sasuke and Naruto glared at Shisui.

There was another loud explosion. Leaving the still and unconscious invaders under the care of Kakashi's newly summoned pack of dogs, they all rushed to the new explosion.

Reaching the clearing first, Naruto's jaw dropped when he saw the huge craters in the ground. Kakashi's eyes widened at the scene before he commented, "She's like Tsunade-sama but possibly worse."

Sasuke nodded stiffly. Genma leaned on the tree casually, taking in the battleground.

"Unno, so where's the apprentice?" Shisui asked, scanning the area full of craters.

Itachi noticed someone getting up from one of the many craters and stated, "Someone's getting out of the crater."

They all tensed except for Itachi and Kakashi. Who was it, the apprentice or an enemy?

"Tch, you think that a bomb like that will kill me, Sakura-san?" Kabuto exclaimed loudly. He looked around, wary.

"What's he doing here?" Naruto hissed. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Judging from the battle, it seems like the apprentice is not on his side," Kakashi stated. Naruto clenched his fist in anger and Sasuke set a hand on his blond teammate's shaking shoulder.

"Sorry," Naruto muttered, calming down. They all stared at the scene, waiting for the kunoichi to appear.

"Are you going to run away like you did last time, Sakura-san? Is it that uncomfortable to see me again?" Kabuto exclaimed.

"Orochimaru-sama gave me permission to use force in order to bring you back to Sound, Sakura-san," Kabuto added.

Growing even more frustrated as he waited, Kabuto yelled, "Don't be such a wimp, kunoichi. Show yourself, unless you really are a weakling!"

Suddenly appearing, Sakura kept her chakra presence hidden and stared at Kabuto before noticing the Leaf shinobis who were hiding behind the trees and bushes.

Naruto felt a shiver shoot through his body as her jade eyes narrowed at them. Clearly, she didn't trust them. Sasuke shrugged as the other's stayed quiet, watching with interest.

"Where were you? Hiding?" Kabuto asked in a taunting tone, standing several meters away from her.

Smiling, Sakura replied, "Eh? Hiding, how in the world did you come up with that, Kabuto?"

Catching his quick reaction of anger that lasted for a second before he put on his normal expression, Sakura explained, "I thought that you had already been injured so I left to go get some food."

"You did what?" Kabuto questioned. Sighing, Sakura pulled out a bag of food and smiled again.

"She's a smart mouth," Genma muttered before saying, "I like her already. She's kind of feisty, isn't she?" Shisui nodded silently, still staring at the scene.

"She's going to be our teammate?" Sasuke asked, incredulous before muttering, "It doesn't even sound like she's taking this seriously. Who would go out and get some food in the middle of a fight?"

Pulling out an apple, Sakura taunted, "Ne, Kabuto, do you think you could stop chasing me and just leave already? You've been after me for the last three years."

"I'm going to bring you to the Sound. You will heal Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto ordered.

"Tch, like I'm going anywhere with you," Sakura scoffed, taking a bite out of the smooth, red apple and commented, "You couldn't even make it past my traps. Judging from your stance, you're probably already injured, Kabuto."

Glaring at the amused kunoichi, Kabuto charged at her as Sakura set her bag of food down next to the tree along with the already-bitten apple.

Before he could even get five yards close to her, he fell into a trap. Turning to look at him, Sakura commented, "Ah, that one. That trap is interesting, I'd have to say."

Kabuto climbed back up the deep hole filled with spikes in the bottom and replied, "Hmph that was a nice trick, Sakura-san. Using fake grass to cover the hole, that's a bit too simple though, don't you think?"

Sakura nodded and agreed casually, "That's what I was thinking earlier when I was preparing my traps."

Kabuto narrowed his eyes and scanned nervously at the green floor.

Naruto smirked and muttered, "She's got him paranoid now." Kakashi nodded and understood why Tsunade wanted to place the girl on Team 7; Sakura was strong, well rounded in many areas.

Itachi watched as the green-eyed kunoichi smirked as she was having fun playing mind games with Kabuto.

Taking a step towards her, Kabuto pulled out some poisoned senbon and launched them at Sakura. Whipping out a kunai, Sakura accurately deflected all of the senbons.

Pulling shurikens out from the sleeves of her cloak, Sakura suddenly threw them at Kabuto before she launched into the air.

Quickly deflecting the shurikens with his own kunai, Kabuto stared up at Sakura while she was charging at him from above. Throwing his kunai right at her, Kabuto said, "Too slow, Sakura-san."

The Sakura in the air poofed into a log with a flying cloak, she had used substitution jutsu.

Suddenly, he was punched and flew crashing into the far tree behind him. Standing tall and proud, Sakura remarked, "Heh, I could say the same to you too, Kabuto."

"Oh, she's definitely inherited Baa-chan's crazy strength," Naruto mumbled. Sasuke nodded and added, "She didn't even use chakra, yet."

Kakashi pointed out, "And she's pretty fast when it comes to speed."

Genma muttered, "She might as well kill him, right?"

Kabuto pushed himself off of the tree, wincing when he felt a sharp pain in his back. Sakura stared at him, with her arms crossed. Her pink elbow protectors were glistening a bit.

"I'm going to kill you!" Kabuto shouted, furious. Sakura sighed and reminded, "You started this three years ago, not me."

Bringing a kunai out, Sakura held her ground as she shoved him back with her brute strength. She overpowered him when it came down to physical strength.

Pushed back several steps, Kabuto poured his chakra into his hands, glaring intently at her. Smiling, Sakura poured chakra into her hands too.

"Doesn't she know that Kabuto is familiar medical jutsu?" Naruto asked, beginning to worry.

"Why do you think she is the Hokage's apprentice?" Itachi asked, still watching the scene. It finally clicked in Naruto's brain. She was advanced when it came to medical ninjutsu.

Charging at Sakura with his hand wide open, Kabuto eagerly sent a palm towards Sakura aiming at her chest. He was determined to stop her main organ: the heart. Once the heart malfunctioned, everything else would too.

Dodging and retreating back from Kabuto's eager attack, Sakura brought her glowing fists to the ground. The whole ground soon shattered into pieces that were jumping up in mid-air. Kicking a large piece of the ground at Kabuto, Sakura leaped onto the shattered pieces.

Kabuto dodged and landed on a different piece, searching for Sakura.

Making her way to him in a blur, Sakura smoothly tapped his biceps before sending a chakra-filled punch at him. Flying into another tree, a snapping sound was heard when Kabuto smashed into the tree with his shoulder first.

Trying to use his arms, Kabuto realized that she had paralyzed his arms. It would take several days for him to recover from the injury.

Landing onto the ground unscathed, Sakura darkly stated, "I told you to leave me alone, but you didn't. It doesn't matter now; I might as well finish you."

Hiding in the bushes with their presence cloaked, most of them tensed as Sakura prepared to kill him. Truly, she was the Hokage's apprentice. She probably even surpassed her sensei.

Suddenly jumping back, Sakura sensed something powerful rumbling underneath the ground. A snake smashed through the ground and quickly disappeared as Orochimaru exited from it.

Turning to set his stare onto Sakura, Orochimaru greeted, "It's been a while, kunoichi."

Sakura nodded and replied, "I believe so."

Taking a step towards her, Orochimaru threatened, "You're no match for her, Kabuto. Perhaps, I should just settle for her?"

"Tch, there's no need to do that," Sakura remarked and added, "I wouldn't go with you willingly."

"That's right because you love being free. But I know that you're searching for power," Orochimaru cooed and continued, "If you want power, then come to me. Heal my arms and I will grant you power."

Kabuto hissed in pain and muttered, "Orochimaru-sama, do not trust her so simply."

"Over my dead body," Sakura retorted, turning away to leave.

"Do you really think that I will let you leave like last time?" Orochimaru exclaimed, licking his lips.

Pulling a kunai out stealthily and sending it at the snake sannin, Sakura's kunai zipped past Orochimaru's head and landed a foot above of Kabuto's head.

Emerald eyes were hard. She was dead serious.

"I have no interest with you," Sakura stated icily. Orochimaru licked his lips as Sakura stood unfazed.

* * *

Sasuke gripped his katana, ready to slaughter the sannin, but Kakashi placed a hand in front of Sasuke to stop him.

Itachi narrowed his eyes at the kunoichi and the missing-nin. It seemed that they had met before. Obviously, the two didn't agree with each other.

* * *

Orochimaru took several steps towards her and stopped before suddenly stretching his neck towards her at an incredible speed.

Already reading his moves, Sakura pulled out a kunai as the sannin dived for her neck. Orochimaru was planning to place his cursed seal onto her.

All of the Leaf shinobis stood up abruptly, concerned. A metal-piercing sound was heard.

Bringing a chakra-filled hand up, Sakura decapitated the snake sannin with no fear. The head dropped to the floor, pumping blood out. It soon morphed into little snakes as Orochimaru's body regenerated another head.

Sakura lifted the dented kunai from her neck and stated, "You see, I know of your petty tricks, Orochimaru."

Walking several steps back, Sakura held the kunai at an angle so that Orochimaru and Kabuto could understand what was going on.

The sun beamed onto the glistening metal. And where Orochimaru had bitten into the kunai, his fangs were stuck for a second before he pulled them free, leaving two miniature holes in the kunai.

Suddenly, Orochimaru realized what happened and stated, "You poisoned me, Kunoichi."

Her lips tilted up a bit before she explained, "I made this kunai specifically for situations like this. The kunai is not only hollow but it is able to carry a certain amount of poison."

Orochimaru glanced at Kabuto warily.

"And knowing that you'd come back after me, I decided to experiment with your fangs, Orochimaru. After all, you do use those fangs to insert your venom which stimulates the process of registering your cursed seal into the victim's body. I let you come at me intentionally and you took the bait," Sakura informed.

She held the bitten kunai up, tossing it at the two before put her hands together, quickly forming seals as she muttered, "Explode."

With a loud sound, the kunai exploded. Dark purple smoke circled the two.

"Orochimaru-sama, this is poisonous smoke," Kabuto exclaimed, dragging the hard- breathing sannin up onto a branch. Kabuto glared at the calm Sakura.

Staring amused, Sakura clarified, "It's not only my own poison that I made, but it's also a mixture of your venom that was released into the hollow kunai. And when these two liquids mixed, it was bound to be poisonous, let alone lethal since I did add a paper bomb in there."

"Kunoichi, you _will_ heal my arm," Orochimaru demanded, leaning against Kabuto.

"And I might just end up killing you," Sakura retorted, her tone deathly dark. She didn't like to be chased for years.

Leaving, Sakura walked towards her bag of food.

"Where did you get all of this information?" Orochimaru asked with a hint of suspicion.

Turning around with her bag of food, Sakura shrugged and answered, "I have my own ways of getting around."

"This isn't the end, Kunoichi," Kabuto seethed as they disappeared.

Quickly forming the seals for the summoning jutsu, Sakura remembered about the Leaf shinobi. She needed to leave before they came and pestered her.

In a flash, Emi appeared and Sakura hopped onto her as they sped away into the sky.

* * *

Knowing that it was too late, Itachi just let them enter the clearing as she darted onto the blue dragon and flew away.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Of Lies and Secrets"**

**PLEASE REVIEW! **

* * *

A/N: What do you think? Team 7 and Itachi's ANBU squad couldn't have captured Sakura so easily. Review your opinions, readers.


	3. Chapter 3

**Of Lies and Secrets**

* * *

***chapter 3: Persistent Naruto**

* * *

**NORMAL POV: **

**2 years ago…**

She happened to be sixteen when she morphed into a Sound ninja and infiltrated one of Orochimaru's old hideouts. Her last encounter with Kabuto and Orochimaru was about a year ago. And since then, Sakura had been researching on Orochimaru and his accomplice.

After some questions and gathering information from all sorts of people, Sakura finally found a hideout. It had taken her a whole year just to locate one of the sannin's old hideout.

Disguised as a Sound ninja, Sakura walked around the lair. She just needed to find some more information on the sannin and Kabuto. Entering an abandoned lab room, Sakura noticed the preserved body parts that were kept in a large, circular jar. Most of them were young bodies.

Disgusted at the sight, Sakura looked away. Noticing a rugged-looking notebook, Sakura flipped through it. The cover of the journal was burnt along with the first half of the notebook, leaving the last unwritten half untouched.

After scanning through the last surviving pages, there was nothing. It seemed that the owner of the book didn't even use up half of the notebook. Flipping to the burnt pages gently, Sakura tried to read the notes.

After staying there for hours, all Sakura came up with was that Orochimaru used his fangs to insert venom. It wasn't like she didn't already know that though.

Setting the notebook onto flames, Sakura quietly left the lair and headed to the Wind country. She was going to start searching for the proper tool to use for her plan.

* * *

**Present…**

Reaching their new hideout, Kabuto helped Orochimaru sit in the cement chair. Orochimaru laughed emotionlessly and muttered, "It seems that we underestimated the kunoichi, Kabuto."

Taking out a pill, Kabuto offered it to Orochimaru silently who declined and said, "This isn't even my real body. Perhaps she failed to notice."

Kabuto's eyes widened for a second but soon smirked. Orochimaru wouldn't go down that easily. Eating the pill, Kabuto could feel the pill taking affect. It was healing him from the inside but it couldn't heal all of his internal wounds.

He clutched his fists tighter and muttered, "I'll definitely kill her."

Orochimaru's body dissolved into miniature snakes as the real Orochimaru appeared from a dark exit and stated, "You will not kill her. She is of use for me, Kabuto."

Kabuto narrowed his eyes. Was she going to be his replacement? She couldn't be. He wouldn't-couldn't- let that happen.

* * *

Sitting on Emi, Sakura muttered, "Ne, today was a bit odd, huh, Emi?"

"How is that?" Emi asked, still flying in the air. Munching on her red apple, Sakura replied, "Not only was Kabuto and Orochimaru after me, those Leaf ninjas were there. Do you think they're after me, too?"

"Maybe. Sakura-sama, you should be more careful," Emi warned. Sakura nodded, still holding her bag of food.

"Where are you going, Sakura-sama?" Emi asked.

Sakura shrugged and replied, "Can we just fly in the air for a while. I don't feel like walking."

Emi nodded and stated, "Of course, Sakura-sama."

Sakura sighed, laying down on Emi before saying, "Can't you just call me Sakura, Emi?"

"If you wish, Sakura," Emi replied. Sakura was her former master's daughter. Therefore, she would protect the last Haruno until the end.

Sakura closed her eyes and drifted asleep.

* * *

"Did you see that?" Naruto demanded and added, "She could have killed those two any moment."

They were standing in the clearing, negotiating about what to do next. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and muttered, "Orochimaru wouldn't go down so easily, Dobe."

"I believe they just underestimated her," Genma stated with a senbon hanging out of his lips. Shisui nodded and replied, "He's a sannin, Naruto. Don't forget that."

"Orochimaru was using a fake body," Itachi commented. They looked at the ANBU captain and he explained, "Before the two missing-nins left, I used my Sharingan to distinguish whether Orochimaru was fake or not."

Kakashi agreed and replied, "That is like Orochimaru. He uses bodies." Sasuke looked away, thinking about the time Orochimaru came after him. He was only thirteen at the time.

"Anyways, we should locate our target or else we will all fail, correct?" Kakashi reminded, his eyes crinkling with humor.

The group of Konoha ninjas sped off in search of the apprentice.

* * *

"Sakura, are you awake?" Emi asked.

Sitting up, Sakura realized that it was night already. Touching her shoulder-length pink hair, Sakura smiled at the sight of her rosy hair. She felt at ease to have her original hair back.

"I'm awake, Emi," Sakura answered and stated, "I must have been asleep for a while."

Emi nodded and exclaimed, "I think Orochimaru is still alive, Sakura. He must have used a substitute body. While flying around, I sensed his presence in the east and so I flew west."

Staring at the dark sky, Sakura replied, "Ah, it does make sense though. I kind of figured that he was too easily inflicted by my attacks. After all, he is a sannin."

Staring at the scenery for a while, Sakura muttered, "One that I do not wish to interact with."

Placing a hand softly on Emi, Sakura inquired, "Where are we exactly, Emi?"

"We are at the River Country border, Sakura. It is southwest of the Fire Country," Emi answered and asked, "Should we find shelter?"

"I should let you rest, Emi. Thanks for the ride," Sakura muttered and replied, "I can take it from here."

"What are you talking about? We're in the middle of the sky, Sakura," Emi asked, upset. She didn't want Sakura falling to her death.

"No worries, Emi. I do this frequently. Just trying to test some theories," Sakura reasoned nonchalantly. Emi sighed and wished, "Do try to survive."

Sakura smiled reassuringly and dove off of Emi before the blue dragon disappeared.

Falling from the sky, Sakura twirled around for a bit before turning back to face the still far away ground. She held her arms out and imagined that she was flying.

"Wah, this is so awesome!" Sakura shouted out loud. Her voice echoed as she continued with free falling. She still had a long way to go until reaching the grass.

* * *

Wandering in the forest bordering the southern territory of the Fire Country, Naruto suggested, "Maybe we should go find shelter?"

Sasuke shook his head and reasoned, "The apprentice travels fast. Like the Hokage stated, she doesn't stay in one place for too long."

"Where could she be now?" Genma asked before letting a sigh out. He didn't think that it would be so difficult just to find the apprentice.

Itachi stopped as they heard a faded echo, "This is so awesome!"

Staring at each other, the group stated in unison, "The apprentice." They rushed to the border just west of their southern position.

"She's probably around the border of the River and Fire Countries," Itachi informed, running at a quick pace. He wouldn't ruin his perfect record and fail. That was a big no.

"She already traveled this far?" Shisui asked, bewildered. Kakashi nodded and replied, "She did summon a dragon."

"Isn't it kind of rare though to see a dragon as one of the summoning animals?" Naruto asked. Sasuke nodded and added, "I thought that they couldn't be used for summoning since they're so stubborn and untamable?"

"True," Genma stated as pondered what the girl's background was.

"Fifteen more minutes until we get there," Itachi stated.

* * *

After performing a wind jutsu, Sakura landed upright on the grass, pleased that her landing was even better than the last time.

Sensing chakra presences coming towards her direction from the east, Sakura tensed and hurried away into the River Country.

Crossing the bridge, Sakura found an Inn and stayed there for the night.

* * *

"Kakashi, the apprentice was just here ten minutes ago," Paku informed with his nose twitching suddenly as he added, "It seems like she wandered into the River Country."

"Man, Baa-chan's apprentice doesn't like people, huh?" Naruto muttered, yawning as he stretched.

"We should go find shelter," Itachi stated before Naruto let out a happy cry along with Shisui.

* * *

Sitting in a room with her chakra veiled, Sakura dried her wet pink hair.

"I need to find the solution to this jutsu," Sakura muttered, wearing her same clothing. She didn't want to change into other clothes since she was being chased. Besides, she didn't have any other clothing to change into.

Figuring that it was probably the leaf shinobis chasing after her, Sakura sighed and muttered, "I really don't want to fight with them."

Hopefully, they had given up on following her. Sakura heard several footsteps walking in her section of the large inn.

"Why do I have to share a bed with you, Sasuke-Teme?" Naruto's loud voice proclaimed. Hearing his voice, Sakura tensed.

Was it the leaf shinobis who were rooming next to her? Judging from their chakra presence, Sakura confirmed that they were the ones following her a while ago.

Biting her lips, Sakura quickly thought about what to do next. She could just leave and head to another place, but then they might catch her leaving through the window.

"Alright, you two, get into the room before I lock you out," Kakashi muttered quietly as he stood in front of the door, ready to close it. Sasuke and Naruto hurried in.

Sakura let out an inaudible breath but quickly held the breath again when she detected two other familiar chakra presences.

"Do you think the apprentice got far by now?" Genma asked, walking past Sakura's door. He didn't suspect that she would be in the same inn as they were. They figured that she would've rushed off, not bothering to rest.

Biting her lips as she narrowed her green eyes, Sakura listened closely to their conversation.

"Hopefully, she hasn't gotten that far," Shisui replied tiredly, entering the room across from Sakura's. Genma grunted and entered the same room.

Counting their chakra presence, Sakura deducted that one of them was missing. Alerted, Sakura pulled on her black gloves, searching her room just to see if he happened to sneak in.

Her room was empty. There were no signs of the sixth person.

Where could the other man be then? Backing up to the window, Sakura peeked through the curtain and saw him staring at the moon. He had his back to her.

His dark and smooth-looking ponytail slid off his shoulder. Sakura felt a pang of envy at how nice his hair seemed.

She couldn't leave through the window anymore, now that he was standing there. Sitting back on her bed, Sakura debated her options and decided to stay in the inn for the night.

Itachi didn't retreat back into his room where Genma and Shisui were sleeping until midnight. That meant that poor Sakura stayed up all night, alerted.

And when the older Uchiha did go back into his room to rest, Sakura waited for him to sleep. But he just didn't sleep.

Frustrated, Sakura clenched the bed sheet. She needed them _all_ to be sleeping so that she could escape without worrying that they might see her. Besides, she could not just underestimate them since she didn't know their styles of fighting.

Sometime later, Sakura had fallen asleep. However, she was sleeping on the sofa that was placed in the corner of the room.

* * *

Waking up to a knocking sound from the room next to her before a loud yelp was heard, Sakura narrowed her emerald eyes.

She entered the bathroom in her room and cleaned up, leaving the door open so that she could listen.

"Damn, Teme, you didn't have to hit me!" Naruto exclaimed. Sakura was confused as to why Naruto was hit by his friend. Weren't they teammates?

Shaking her head, Sakura quickly threw on her cloak and soundlessly exited her room, shutting the door gingerly. She might as well leave while they were all distracted.

"Have a good day, miss," the clerk greeted, waving at Sakura who had hidden herself with the dark cloak. Sakura waved a bit and left; she had already paid for the room yesterday.

Unveiling her chakra, Sakura smiled in delight at how easily she escaped.

* * *

Sensing the unveiled chakra, Naruto and Sasuke stopped in the middle of dressing, both of them shirtless. Standing outside of the door, Kakashi shut his book feeling surprised that he didn't even detect the kunoichi last night.

Shisui barged into the room that he shared with Itachi and Genma before asking, "Where's Itachi?"

"I think he's already chasing after the apprentice," Genma stated, pulling on his vest as they left the inn with Team 7.

Running in the streets of the River Country, Shisui informed, "It seems that the apprentice was there last night in the inn."

Kakashi questioned, "How did you find out?" Shisui answered, "I asked the clerk and he told me." Staring at the others as they neared him, Itachi waited for them at the end of the street.

* * *

A drunken rogue ninja strutted out from a bar and twitched when he saw Sakura pass by him, fairly happy. She looked familiar for some reason. Too familiar.

Recognizing her, the rogue ninja walked towards Sakura and said, "Hey, you're that girl from the other time."

Turning to look at the drunken man, Sakura replied, "I'm sorry, sir. I don't know you."

"We fought in the Earth Country, remember? I told you to join my pack of rogues," the rogue reminded. Sakura glanced around the man and saw the group of Leaf shinobis heading towards them.

Opening her mouth, Sakura replied conversationally, "Ah, the time we fought in the forest? How are you doing?"

"Man, you can really pack a punch. It took me several weeks to recover," the man explained, laughing. Sakura tensed as the group came closer. The rogue was too drunk to sense the Konoha ninjas.

"Look, I got to go. I've got some stuff to do," Sakura stated, walking away. The man reached towards Sakura, aiming to pull her back by her black, silky hair.

Whirling around, Sakura gripped his wrist and threatened grimly, "Do you want to die?"

The group of Leaf ninjas stopped, analyzing the situation. Sakura relaxed when they stopped closing in.

The rogue yanked his wrist back and responded, "Tch, you're still as ill-tempered, girl. Join my pack; I could really use your strength."

Walking away, Sakura replied, "No thanks. I work alone."

Drunk, the man slurred some of his words before pulling out a kunai and yelling, "You're coming with me!"

Sakura formed some seals, muttering under her breath, and turned around to release the wind jutsu against the rogue.

Stuck in the little whirlwind, the rogue shouted, "Don't walk away from a battle!"

Sakura removed her stare from the man and gazed at the Leaf ninjas before disappearing.

A few minutes later, Sakura's jutsu finished and the rogue dropped onto the floor, sober. Walking to the rogue, Itachi asked, "What is your relationship with the kunoichi, rogue?"

Glancing at Naruto and the others, the rogue stated, "You're all from Konoha? Tch, what do you want with the girl? You're going to capture her and toss her into jail like you're going to do with me?"

"No, I'll leave that for them," Itachi replied smoothly, gesturing at the River ANBU.

"Tch, damn that girl," the rogue muttered as Itachi walked away. The River country's ANBU took over from there.

* * *

Appearing in front of a bridge, Sakura performed the summoning seals and summoned Emi.

Floating in the air, Emi informed, "Hurry. They are coming, Sakura." Sakura could feel the Leaf ninjas running towards her.

Not bother to look back, Sakura leapt off the bridge and onto Emi. Sitting on her summoned animal, Sakura let her legs dangle in the air as they ascended up into the air.

Running at full speed with chakra applied to the bottom of his sandals, Naruto jumped onto the bridge, pushed himself into the air and grabbed one of Sakura's dangling ankles.

Stunned, Sakura looked down at the blond ninja before saying, "You're a persistent one." Naruto beamed at her comment and replied, "Thanks!"

Shaking her ankle, Sakura exclaimed loudly, "Let go of my leg, Baka!"

Shaking his head, Naruto replied, "No, I have to complete this mission!"

Confused, Sakura shouted back, "Look, I don't know you so you better get lost before I force you to let go!"

Naruto was hanging in the air, holding onto Sakura's ankle. Fighting back the urge to kick the blond ninja with her free leg, Sakura sighed and muttered, "Emi, go faster."

Emi let out a pleased noise before twirling around in the air in hectic, dizzying circles. Sakura sat through the whole motions, not bothered by the effects.

Naruto smirked and gripped onto her ankle tighter as he flung around in the air. What a wild ride.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Leaf shinobis were closely trailing after Naruto and the apprentice. Kakashi stared at the amusing sight of his blond student gripping onto the Hokage's apprentice.

"Naruto's really devoted to completing this, isn't he?" Shisui asked out loud. Sasuke sighed and admitted, "It's worth it. For once, Dobe's actually doing something right."

Itachi nodded abruptly, looking up into the sky. The blue dragon was trying to get rid of Naruto by spinning crazily in the sky. The apprentice was yelling something to Naruto who just smiled back.

* * *

Frustrated, Sakura let out a scream that was muffled by the high winds.

Patting Emi, Sakura stated, "Emi, I'm going to release the summoning jutsu."

Comprehending, Emi replied, "If you need me, Sakura, summon me. I will not hesitate."

"She's going to release the summoning jutsu," Itachi stated, recognizing the seals.

"Is she that crazy? They're going to fall to their deaths from that height," Genma commented, biting the senbon tightly. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

Jumping off Emi before she disappeared, Sakura swung a leg at Naruto causing his to deflect her kick and let go of her other ankle.

"Tch," Naruto muttered as they both fell down the air in free fall. Sakura smiled and stretched out her cloaked body.

Naruto glanced at the kunoichi, puzzled. How could she be enjoying this? She was probably suicidal.

"Oi, we're going to die," Naruto reminded as Sakura opened her green eyes. Staring at the blue-eyed ninja, Sakura replied calmly, "I don't plan on dying."

Naruto looked back down at the scenery below them. They were headed straight for a waterfall that had a lake at the bottom where the pouring water smashed into.

Sakura smirked at the ninja's worried expression. Bringing her hands to her chest, Sakura unbuttoned the dark cloak and tossed it into the air behind her.

Naruto heard the flapping cloak, glanced at the kunoichi who spread her arms again and watched silently as she twirled in the air happily.

Her black hair was flying back as the pressure from the winds blew it back. Her emerald eyes glittered with amusement and excitement.

"They're headed for the waterfall up ahead," Itachi stated. Rushing to the waterfall, Sasuke glanced at the sky and added, "She's not taking this seriously."

Kakashi looked and replied, "I'm not sure what the apprentice is thinking."

Shisui nodded and said, "We're almost to the lake where the waterfall is located."

* * *

Nearing the lake, Sakura performed the seals for her wind jutsu and decided to grab Naruto by the collar of his orange jacket while mumbling, "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"She's saving Naruto?" Genma asked with his eyes wide for a second. Okay, so, she wasn't _that_ bad.

Naruto looked at Sakura who was concentrating on landing as they dropped down to the surface of the lake. Feeling the wind under their feet, Sakura could feel their landing slow down so that they were standing upright on top of the water.

Standing securely on top of the water, Sakura instantly let go of Naruto and retreated in the other direction. Blue eyes shining, Naruto stated, "Thanks for the landing, but I can't let you escape."

Turning to stare at the blond young man, Sakura demanded mildly, "Who ordered you to capture me?"

"The Hokage requests for your presence," Naruto replied professionally. Sakura lifted her brows and asked, "Why would I be needed in Konoha?"

She glanced around as the other Leaf members surrounded her.

Taking a step closer to the apprentice, Itachi stated, "Like Naruto said, the Hokage has sent us on a mission. This mission's goal is to bring you back to Konoha alive, Sakura-san."

"Sakura?" Genma repeated and muttered, "So, that's her name."

"And who is your Hokage?" Sakura questioned, narrowing her emerald eyes. There had been a few incidents where a Kage had assigned his or her shinobis to capture her.

"Tsunade-sama," Itachi stated. Watching her reactions, the Konoha shinobis tensed as Sakura stood in a thinking stance.

With a finger to her chin, Sakura muttered, "So, the rumors were correct? Tsunade-shishou actually became the Hokage? I've got to see this for myself."

Removing her finger and placing her hands to her sides, Sakura exclaimed, "I'll go with you."

Naruto narrowed his large, cerulean eyes at the apprentice in utter disbelief. How could she give in so easily? Maybe she was just acting and then she'd escape when their guards were down.

Sensing their hesitation, Sakura asked irritably, "Well, are we going or not? I did say that I was going with you."

Walking towards the apprentice, Itachi replied, "Thank you for your cooperation, Sakura-san. You will not regret it."

Sakura nodded as Itachi approached her and asked, "You are a rogue ninja are you not?"

"Am I in the bingo books? No. I didn't think so," Sakura remarked, walking past the older Uchiha. Just because she didn't have a hitai- ate didn't mean that she was a rogue.

"Then, you are a missing-nin?" Itachi pressed with his stare still pinned onto the moving kunoichi.

"Like I said, I'm not a missing-nin or a rogue. So you can stop with the interrogation," Sakura demanded, annoyed. Weren't they the same thing, a missing-nin and a rogue?

Warned of her bad temper, Sasuke said, "We will take you to Konoha now."

Whirling around to look at the younger Uchiha, Sakura replied with relief, "Finally, we can get moving. I was beginning to think that this was a fraud mission."

* * *

They had just passed the border for the River Country and entered the Fire Territory. So far, Sakura had remained quiet throughout the journey back to Konoha.

With Naruto and Sasuke positioned to her left and right sides, Sakura felt squashed, sandwiched. Genma and Shisui were behind her, leaving Kakashi and Itachi in the front.

They had positioned like this so that she couldn't escape easily just in case she decided to flee. Sakura stared ahead, lost in her thoughts.

Although she was born in Konoha, she couldn't remember much since she was only an infant at the time. Was Konoha a nice place like visitors claimed? She was curious about her birthplace.

Pulling herself away from her thoughts as Naruto introduced, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage." Sakura looked at him and muttered, "I'm Sakura."

Naruto stared at Sasuke over Sakura's head, silently ordering for him to introduce himself. Sighing under his breath, Sasuke said, "Uchiha Sasuke."

Sakura glanced at Sasuke for a brief second before removing her stare. She then remembered that the Uchiha clan lived in Konoha.

"I guess we should introduce ourselves too," Kakashi mused out loud and stated, "I'm Hatake Kakashi, sensei of these two guys next to you."

Sakura nodded as Genma said, "I'm Genma." Shisui smiled at Sakura who had set her stare on him as he introduced boastingly, "I'm the almighty Uchiha Shisui."

Two Uchihas, Sakura thought inwardly before turning away to look ahead.

"Uchiha Itachi," Itachi stated in his unreadable voice, not even bothering to turn and look at her.

There were three Uchihas that Tsunade decided to assign for the mission. Sakura realized that Tsunade knew that Sakura wouldn't fight against three Uchihas plus the famous Copy-ninja, Kakashi, along with Naruto and Genma.

Tsunade was still as critical as ever. Still, Sakura couldn't wait to reunite with her old sensei.

"Ne, Sakura-chan," Naruto started, pausing to look at her before he continued, "Do you happen to know Orochimaru?"

Staring at Naruto, Sakura shortly answered, "No."

"But you've met him before?" Sasuke questioned, staring at her. Sakura glanced at the younger Uchiha and answered, "I met him once."

"Once?" Kakashi repeated. Intrigued, the others gestured for Sakura to continue explaining.

Sighing, Sakura explained, "It was about three years ago when I was fifteen. That day I was roaming around in the Land of Tea. Orochimaru and Kabuto located my whereabouts and traveled to the Land of Tea."

"Why was Orochimaru searching for you?" Genma asked.

"He wanted me to heal his arms. Apparently, they were sealed from his fight with the Third Hokage," Sakura answered, glancing at the others.

"Orochimaru came to Baa-chan asking her to heal his arms, too," Naruto stated after nodding to himself. Sakura looked at Naruto and asked, "When was this?"

"When Sasuke and I were thirteen," Naruto replied.

"Oh," Sakura simply stated. This probably happened shortly after she left Tsunade and Shizune. When she had left Tsunade and Shizune, she headed to the Lightning Country.

"You weren't there," Naruto stated, staring at Sakura who replied softly, "Yes, I left before that even happened."

"I know, I was there with Jiraiya when Orochimaru came after Baa-chan," Naruto explained. Sakura narrowed her jade eyes and muttered, "It makes sense now."

Orochimaru couldn't get Tsunade to heal his arms and so he came after the female sannin's apprentice.

"I'm guessing that you rejected his offer and escaped? That's why Orochimaru came after you again. How did you manage to come up with your idea?" Shisui concluded.

Sakura explained, "After our first encounter, I spent a year searching for one of his hideouts. I entered his abandoned lair and managed to find some sort of useful information."

Listening, Itachi calculated that the girl was advanced when it came to things requiring medical skills. Her research skills were pretty sharp. Sakura seemed to have an easy time fending for herself.

It seemed that she didn't want to fully reveal her idea of using a hollow kunai against Orochimaru. He expected her to not want to reveal her invention; they were precious masterpieces after all.

"We should arrive in Konoha at nightfall," Itachi stated, bringing everyone's attention back to him.

Sakura was glad that the older Uchiha managed to knock the spotlight from her. All she wanted to do was meet Tsunade and rest.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Of Lies and Secrets"**

**PLEASE REVIEW :) **

* * *

****A/N: It would be one hell of a fight if Sakura was fighting all six of them. Thanks for all the reviews. And yes, i do plan on updating 'Uchiha & Haruno'. Thanks for reading my stories :]

What did you think about Naruto holding onto Sakura's ankle? Please review your opinions.


	4. Chapter 4

**Of Lies and Secrets**

* * *

***Chapter 4: New Member**

* * *

**NORMAL POV: **

**6 years ago…**

After a long tiring day of training in the early morning and then watching Tsunade gamble in the afternoon, twelve year old Sakura sat down outside on the balcony. Staring out into the night sky, she touched her pink hair carefully.

Sliding the glass door open, Shizune walked onto the balcony and sat down next to Sakura. Gazing up at the sky too, Shizune asked, "What are you pondering about, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura looked at the dark-haired lady and replied, "My hair. Do you think it will ever go back to normal, Shizune?" Shizune smiled at the young girl and said, "Of course, it will, Sakura-chan. You're capable of solving the jutsu. I believe in you."

"And so do I, Sakura. After all, I just don't take apprentices for nothing," Tsunade stated, leaning on the shut glass door. Sakura smiled and muttered, "Yeah, I will find a way to get my pink hair back."

There was also one thing that she wanted to find out: the man who killed her parents.

Letting go of the dark thought, Sakura stated, "It's a secret between the three of us, okay?"

Tsunade chuckled and commented, "Of course, it is. Did you think I'd go blabbering about it?" Sakura peered down the balcony and mumbled, "Maybe when you're drunk?"

Tsunade scowled and threatened grimly, "Oi, little kid." Shizune laughed and agreed, "Sakura-chan's got a point, Tsunade-sama."

"Don't worry, Sakura," Tsunade reassured and said, "Now get to sleep. We've got a long day tomorrow."

"Hai," Sakura complied, getting off the chair and entering the inn. Tsunade watched the young apprentice go to sleep.

"She's a special one, isn't she, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune questioned, smiling. Tsunade looked at her and muttered, "Yeah, she is. I just hope that no one gets their hands on her."

Shizune added, "That's why we'll be there to protect her." Tsunade watched as her follower entered the room and prepared to sleep.

Staring at the white and bright moon, Tsunade muttered, "I hope so."

* * *

**Present…**

Watching warily as the sun crept closer and closer to the horizon, Sakura stopped hopping from tree to tree. At this rate, they would arrive in Konoha with her hair pink and she couldn't afford to have her secret exposed. The only people who knew her secret were Tsunade, Shizune and herself.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at Sakura, confused. Shisui and Genma were standing on a branch behind them. Kakashi turned around to stare at the black-haired apprentice who was silently debating how to go about her secret.

"Is there something wrong?" Kakashi asked, concerned. She had a worried look.

Looking up at Kakashi, Sakura asked, "Could we please stop and rest tonight?" She looked at Itachi who was the captain for the mission, expecting his answer.

"Eh? But we're only forty minutes away from Konoha," Naruto complained. Sakura stared at Itachi, waiting for his answer.

"Well, since Sakura-chan asked so politely, I think we should," Shisui suggested. Sakura high-fived her Inner, they got one person on their side.

"Eh, I guess that seems okay, right, Teme?" Naruto surrendered, staring at Sasuke. Shrugging, Sasuke replied, "As long as you don't run away, then I'm fine with it." Another high five, now they had three people on their side.

"Might as well stop for today," Genma muttered, stretching as he added, "I'm quite tired." Kakashi nodded and asked, "Shall we, Itachi?" Sakura's Inner was happily screaming at the success. Their secret would be safe and sound.

Nodding, Itachi stated, "If it is your wish, then we shall comply as long as this mission is not ruined, Sakura-san."

Sakura nodded and muttered, "Don't worry. It's not like I have anywhere else to go without being chased down by others." Sakura rushed towards an inn, leaving them behind to register her words.

"I wonder why people are after her," Kakashi pondered aloud as they trailed after her. They all were curious when it came to that question. Perhaps in time, they would come to find out the reason? It seemed like their were many different reasons though.

* * *

Paying for her own room, Sakura bade a goodnight to the Leaf ninjas and hurried into her assigned room before locking the door shut and checking to see if the window was locked before securely shutting the curtain.

Walking past Sakura's room, Naruto asked, "It seems like Sakura-chan was in a hurry?" Sasuke nodded bluntly, suspicious of her behavior.

"At least, she paid for her own expense, right?" Shisui stated and stared at the apprentice's closed door. Itachi opened a door which revealed fairly large room as he informed in an expressionless voice, "We will discuss the plans for tonight."

* * *

"Team 7, you will keep an eye on her movements inside the inn. My squad and I will be watching for any movements that she may possibly make to flee," Itachi explained.

Leaning back on the couch, Naruto commented, "No problem, Taichou." Sasuke sat back on the couch and muttered, "We can handle our part."

Kakashi simply nodded before going back to read his orange book.

* * *

Lying in the bed with the blanket covering her pink hair, Sakura could see the faint glow of the moon beaming through the curtain. She knew that they were alerted, ready to capture her if she decided to flee.

Snuggling into the pillow, Sakura fell asleep with her pink hair securely hidden.

* * *

Standing outside her room prepared to leave for Konoha, Sakura greeted, "Good morning." A sleepy Naruto walked out of the room, rubbing his eyes as he greeted back, "Morning, Sakura-chan."

Walking out of the inn with everybody in their same positions, Shisui asked, "Did you sleep well, Sakura-chan?"

"Yeah, I did," Sakura answered, not wanting to ask them how their sleep went. She knew that they stayed up all night, watching her movements.

"That's good," Genma commented before yawning.

Somehow, she felt a bit guilty for having them stay up all night. Shaking her head, Sakura reminded herself that she wasn't going to Konoha just to feel guilty. She was going to visit Tsunade and leave.

Time managed to pass by as they traveled back to Konoha. It was mainly due to Shisui and Naruto asking her questions and sometimes, Kakashi and Genma would ask her a few curious questions. Sasuke and Itachi remained quiet the whole time.

"Well, here we are, Sakura-chan," Naruto stated proudly as he gestured at the peaceful village. They had just arrived early in the morning. The dew on the grass was still fresh and the streets were still empty. It was probably about five in the morning.

"Oh," Sakura simply said. She wasn't sure of how to respond.

"You've never been here?" Genma asked, confused by her reaction. Shaking her head, Sakura replied, "I never really found the need to travel to the Fire territory. And if I ever did, I was usually just passing through."

"Hokage-sama is waiting for you," Itachi reminded. Naruto pulled Sakura by her hand and asked, "You must be excited to see Baa-chan, huh?"

Watching her indifferent expression, they all concluded that she was just as expressionless as the Uchihas. She remained quiet as Naruto eagerly dragged her with him.

"Aren't you excited, Sakura?" Naruto asked again. His blue eyes were full of curiosity.

Stopping instead of answering Naruto, Sakura stared at the unknown houses. For some reason, she felt familiar with the place. Pulling her hand out of Naruto's grasp, Sakura walked over to a building and touched it gingerly.

A brief image flashed in her mind. It was a burning building.

Shaking her head, Sakura turned around to look at the shinobis with her large emerald eyes. They noticed the look in her eyes but decided to let it slip.

"Anyways, where is Tsunade-shishou?" Sakura asked, hoping to get rid of their attention. Naruto rushed her to the Hokage's office.

* * *

Waking up to the sound of knocks, Tsunade wiped mouth and sat up properly, tugging at her clothes to remove any evidence of her just recently sleeping. She arranged her papers neatly.

"Come in," Tsunade ordered in a firm voice.

Entering with Itachi's squad first and then Team 7, Tsunade's amber eyes widened as Sakura entered the door, shutting it behind her. Sakura stared at her former teacher before greeting, "Tsunade-shishou."

Thankfully, the room was sound proof because Tsunade let out a happy scream that could've waken up the whole village. Rushing towards her long-lost apprentice, Tsunade shoved Sakura against her bosoms and hugged her tightly.

"Tch, lucky," Shisui muttered. Genma nodded, biting on his senbon. Sakura narrowed her jade eyes at them before raising a fist.

Pulling back, Tsunade asked, "Where have you been all these years, Sakura? You didn't even bother to let me know that you were alive."

"You know that I don't die that easily without a fight," Sakura reminded, pouting for a bit before adding, "I've just been around places as usual."

"I would believe so," Tsunade muttered, returning to her seat. Sakura watched her teacher sit in the chair. She looked so professional. Sakura thought about the Tsunade that she used to know and suddenly laughed.

They all looked at her, curious as to why she was laughing. Sakura could tell that Tsunade was happy in Konoha despite the angry looks she put up.

"Would you care to inform us as to why you are laughing?" Tsunade asked. Nodding her head, Sakura replied, "Don't take offense to this, Shishou, I was just remembering that you were never the type for locked up offices."

Tsunade nodded sadly and mumbled, "Somehow, I managed to get myself pulled into this Hokage crisis."

Sakura commented, "Well, at least you don't go gambling anymore." Tsunade glared at her apprentice and added, "Shizune said that too, Sakura."

"Shizune and I, we think alike, Shishou. How is she doing these days?" Sakura questioned. Sighing, Tsunade muttered, "Shizune's been working non-stop lately. Perhaps, you could lend her a hand, Sakura? After all, I'm sure your medical ninjutsu has been sharper than before, am I correct?"

"Compared to before, it has advanced," Sakura admitted and muttered, "Although, I could improve."

Tsunade shook her head and commented, "You're expectations are still high as usual. You're a medical prodigy, Sakura." Sakura smiled at the compliment.

Taking notice of their patient audience, Tsunade stated, "Good job to both teams. You managed to locate my apprentice."

Itachi walked to her desk and gave her the report which she set on the desk as she walked to Team 7. Staring at Sakura, Tsunade exclaimed, "Sakura, this will be your new team."

Surprised, Sakura turned to look at the team who were avoiding her stare before she stated, "I'm a bit confused by your statement, Shishou."

Sighing, Tsunade clarified, "In order for them to be an official ANBU team, they need one more member. You will be that member, Sakura."

"How can I be placed onto an ANBU squad when I have no position in Konoha, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura questioned. She wasn't sure if she wanted to stay in Konoha much less be placed onto a team permanently.

Staring at Sakura with her hard amber eyes, Tsunade stated, "Sakura, you were born in Konoha. So, technically, you are a kunoichi of Konohagakure."

"She was born in Konoha?" Naruto asked, perplexed. Itachi was intrigued by the sudden information. They all were interested in the apprentice and her background.

"So what if I was born in Konoha, Tsunade-sama? I do not even possess a hitai-ate," Sakura defended. Tsunade smirked triumphantly, reached into a drawer and tossed a red Konoha hitai-ate to Sakura. "Now, you do."

Catching the red forehead protector with one hand, Sakura stared at the accessory as Tsunade sighed and sympathized, "I know that you're not used to this, Sakura. I mean, after all, you've been roaming around freely for eight years. I've thought about your safety and I believe that it's best for you to stay in Konoha, Sakura."

Sakura glanced at Team 7 which consisted of a stoic Uchiha, a dense but skilled Kyuubi vessel and a porn-reader sensei. Silently debating, Sakura silently mused to herself that she fitted in perfectly. She could be the girl with black hair in the day and pink hair in the night. Why not? She had no where else to go for the time being.

Hesitantly, Sakura clutched the red band into her fists as she proclaimed, "Fine."

Naruto shouted in delight and Sasuke just stared at her as she walked over to them reluctantly, leaving a small gap between them and herself. Kakashi smiled beneath his mask and greeted, "Welcome to the family, Sakura."

"Thanks?" Sakura replied questioningly. She hoped that she was doing the right thing. Is this what her parents would have wanted her to do?

Reading her thought, Tsunade replied, "Of course they would approve of this, Sakura." Sakura smiled a bit at her new Kage's reassuring statement.

Sensing a stare, Sakura shifted her eyes to the older Uchiha as he led his squad out of the office. She had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time she saw him.

Looking back at Tsunade, Sakura asked, "I'm guessing that I am staying here permanently?"

Nodding, Tsunade answered, "Don't worry. I have an apartment prepared for you, Sakura."

Relieved, Sakura smiled and muttered, "It's like you knew that I'd come." Tsunade smiled knowingly before ordering, "Naruto and Sasuke, show her the apartment. We'll meet up at the training grounds in the afternoon."

"Why, Baa-chan?" Naruto asked.

"I need to assess your work as a team before promoting you all. Besides, I do need to check Sakura's abilities," Tsunade explained and added, "After that, you'll have to pass the one on one battle with a random jonin. So you'll have about a month to train for that."

Sakura gulped nervously as she listened to the sudden announcements. She couldn't back out now.

"Shall we go, Sakura?" Kakashi asked, putting his book down. Sakura stared at her new teammates and sensei as she said hopelessly, "Why not?"

* * *

"This is your apartment, Sakura-chan," Naruto stated, gesturing at the door. Sakura stood still in front of the door for a few seconds before unlocking the apartment and peeking inside. It was furnished already.

Shutting the door, Sakura walked past Naruto as he asked, "Unno, you're not going to actually look around the apartment?"

"It's alright, Naruto. It's just an apartment," Sakura replied nonchalantly. Naruto shook his head and phrased, "It's your new home."

Stopping, Sakura repeated, "Home?" Kakashi and Sasuke stared at the mysterious kunoichi's back as she repeated the word. Naruto nodded fervidly and restated, "Yes, it's your new home."

"I wouldn't really understand that word," Sakura muttered before descending the stairs. Naruto looked at Sasuke and Kakashi before saying, "It might take a while for her to settle."

Sasuke remarked, "It doesn't take a genius to figure that out, Dobe." Naruto crossed his arms and muttered, "Tch, Teme." Kakashi wondered what her past was like. She must have not stayed in Konoha long since he never heard of the new kunoichi.

Tsunade had told him privately that her last name was Haruno. But could she really be from that extinct clan? Supposedly, they died out ages ago; perhaps her parents could have survived and hid her existence?

If she was from that clan, then Kakashi would have to watch out for her. Obviously, there were some people full of hatred against the dead clan. And if her identity was revealed, then she would become a top target.

"Sakura-chan, wait for me! I want to treat you to this awesome ramen shop!" Naruto shouted, jumping off the third floor and onto the ground. Sasuke leapt off the hoisted hallway and Kakashi muttered, "Naruto will most likely be able to get her settled in."

* * *

Staring at the bowl of ramen, Sakura glanced at Naruto who hastily devoured his. She wasn't hungry. Patting his stomach, Naruto commented, "Ah, this was good." He looked over to Sakura and questioned, "Sakura-chan, you're not going to eat?"

Shaking her head, Sakura replied, "I'm not hungry but thanks for the ramen anyways." Naruto pouted and pressed, "But you have to eat it. You're going to need it for the assessment battle."

"It's alright, Naruto," Sakura reassured, pushing the bowl towards him as she said, "You can have it." Naruto looked at her hesitantly as she just stared at the wooden counter.

Sitting to her left was Kakashi. Setting his chopsticks down, Kakashi soothed, "It may be a bit uncomfortable, Sakura. But if you need something, you can ask me, okay?"

Staring at him, Sakura nodded and stared back at the counter again. Kakashi softened and hoped that she would eventually settle in. If not, then she was going to have a hard time for sure.

"Oi, Naruto, I heard that you finally got a new teammate?" Kiba stated, rushing into Ichiraku with his dog. Pushing the empty bowl aside, Naruto answered, "So what if I got a new teammate, Kiba?"

"I want to fight him," Kiba exclaimed confidently. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"It happens to be a 'her', not a 'him'," Sakura corrected, spinning around to stare at him. Shocked, Kiba pointed at Sakura and stammered, "S-she's your new teammate?"

"And she's the Hokage's apprentice," Kakashi informed brightly. "Do you still want to fight?" Sakura asked, bored. She was up for a fight. Anything to make time fly by asides from eating.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, I think you should conserve chakra after all we're going to have an assessment," Naruto reminded. Sakura shrugged and muttered, "He asked first. I was simply responding."

"Next time," Kiba said as he hurried away with his dog.

"Tch," Sakura muttered. She felt like punching something. Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. It seemed that she was into fighting, too. What kind of shinobi wouldn't be interested in battles?

* * *

Walking out of Ichiraku, Naruto greeted, "Oi, Hinata and Neji!" Turning around to stare at Naruto with a faint blush, Hinata replied, "Naruto-kun? What do you need?"

Neji sighed and muttered, "It's nothing important, Hinata." Naruto shook his head and said, "I just wanted to introduce you to our new teammate, Sakura-chan." Neji looked at Sakura who muttered a quick greeting.

"I heard from Kiba that she's the Hokage's apprentice?" Neji asked, curious. Hinata stared at Sakura in silent awe. Sakura noticed that the dark-haired kunoichi seemed to like Naruto in a romantic way.

"I am," Sakura answered. She could tell that it was going to be a long day. A little later, Neji and Hinata left.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Of Lies and Secrets"**

**PLEASE REVIEW! **

* * *

A/N: What do you think? Please review.


	5. Chapter 5

**Of Lies and Secrets**

* * *

***Chapter 5: True Feelings**

* * *

**NORMAL POV: **

**3 years ago…**

Standing in a cave, Sakura let out a happy sigh. She had finally finished her latest invention at the age of fifteen. She first thought of the idea when she was thirteen and still traveling with Tsunade and Shizune. Before she left Tsunade, she had already started on the pill.

Sakura had finally completed her healing pill. Creating the pill so that in troubled times when she couldn't heal herself, Sakura could always revert to the pill.

Staring at the white and petite pill, Sakura muttered, "Tsunade-Shishou would be proud."

* * *

**Present…**

"Yeah, let's get started!" Naruto shouted with excitement. Sakura looked at Tsunade and Kakashi as Tsunade sighed and explained, "Naruto, we're waiting on Jiraiya. He's coming by to see the assessment fight."

"So what exactly are we doing?" Sasuke asked. He was curious as to what their assessment fight was. Sakura nodded and said, "We're going to be tested on our team work, correct?"

"Yes, you will be tested on teamwork and at the same time, I will be able to see how far you've progressed, Sakura," Tsunade answered.

"Whoa, who's this hot chick," Jiraiya commented, whistling. Tsunade felt a vein pop as she brutally punched her teammate who also whistled at her as she exclaimed, "That 'hot chick' is my apprentice, Jiraiya."

"Ouch…she's your apprentice? What and when did this happen?!" Jiraiya asked, sizing Sakura up and down. Sakura narrowed her green eyes at the male sannin. Tsunade sighed and muttered, "Let's get started. We have to finish before the sun sets."

Sakura instantly gazed at the sun. Of course, they had to finish before the sun set. She couldn't afford to have her secret exposed.

Noticing her worry, Kakashi comforted, "Ne, Sakura, it's not that bad." Sakura looked at him and nodded. Tsunade sighed and wondered mentally how Sakura was going to cope with them if she was still under the jutsu. That could be a problem, especially during missions.

Stepping forward, Kakashi informed, "Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, you three will complete the bells test."

"Eh, the bells test again?" Naruto whined. They did that when they were first put into team 7. Although, they did fail it the first time but managed to get it the second time.

Sasuke smirked. This was going to be easy. Following Kakashi's stare, Sasuke turned to look at Sakura. Never mind, this could be a bit troublesome. What if she was those kinds of people who worked alone? After all, she had always worked solo.

Sakura turned to look at Sasuke and muttered, "What, Sasuke?" He shook his head and looked back at Kakashi who smirked, knowing that Sasuke already thought the potential outcome of Sakura not wanting to work as a team.

Sasuke was disgruntled by the thought. Naruto stated, "Alrighty, let's get started, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi nodded and informed, "In order for you to pass, you have to grab these two bells. However, only two of you will get the bells. So you can fight amongst yourselves, if you want."

Sakura looked at the bell and back at Sasuke and Naruto. If she didn't get one of those bells, then she couldn't pass. But if she did get one of the bells, then she'd pass; however, she wasn't sure which one of the two was going to get the other bell.

Naruto glanced at Sakura, hoping that she'd catch on along with Sasuke.

"We shall start now," Kakashi started and disappeared. Naruto and Sasuke flashed away, chasing after Kakashi. Sakura stood planted in her place.

"Unno, Sakura, you're supposed to find Kakashi," Tsunade reminded. Sakura wasn't this dense.

"I know," Sakura stated before disappearing. Jiraiya was beginning to wonder if she really was Tsunade's apprentice.

* * *

Running through the forest, Sasuke and Naruto finally realized that they left Sakura behind. They were so used to working together as a pair that they automatically forgot her.

"Damn," Sasuke muttered as Naruto let out a regretful sigh. This was going to be a bit harder than they expected.

* * *

Walking through the forest, Sakura scanned around cautiously. Sensing a presence behind the tree, Sakura threw a kunai with a bomb at the tree.

Appearing from behind the tree, Kakashi dodge the exploding tree and muttered, "Ah, Sakura, it's you." He wondered where Naruto and Sasuke were. They must have forgotten about her.

Before Sakura could attempt to fight, Kakashi created a higher leveled Genjutsu. Standing in the jutsu, Sakura looked around to find herself stuck in a new environment.

"Kai," Sakura stated, forming the dispel seal. When she looked around, Kakashi had just barely disappeared. She chased after his lingering presence.

* * *

Kicking at Kakashi with his hands placed on the ground as he hoisted himself off the ground, Sasuke muttered, "Now, Naruto." Naruto appeared with a Rasengan and shoved it at the distracted Kakashi who was in the air.

Turning around to look at Naruto in the air, Kakashi felt the blue, whirling ball of chakra smash into his stomach. Using the Kawarimi jutsu, Kakashi poofed into a log and Naruto muttered, "Damn, we could've got him."

"Where is he?" Naruto and Sasuke pondered a loud. Tsunade and Jiraiya were shaking their heads. The two could work together, but how was Sakura going to play her role as the third member?

Running back to the clearing where the rest were, Sakura noticed Naruto and Sasuke searching for Kakashi. If he wasn't in the air or on the ground, then he must've gone underground.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto shouted gleefully. Sasuke turned to look at her as she said, "Watch out."

Pulling her fist back, Sakura punched the ground causing there to be a great shake as the ground suddenly shattered into large pieces that flew into the air. Kakashi then appeared from underneath. He was so close to grabbing Sasuke's leg and pulling him into the ground like their first time.

Sakura rushed next to Sasuke and Naruto as they stood next to each other. Sasuke looked at Sakura and said, "Sakura, you-"

"Got it," Sakura said, flashing in front of Kakashi and began to distract him as she fought. Pouring chakra into her hands, Sakura sent a punch at him which he barely dodged. Staying on his trail accurately, Sakura aimed a swift power-filled kick as she smashed the bottom of her foot onto the ground.

Sending a tremor at Kakashi who was suddenly unbalanced by the shake, Sakura saw Naruto appear behind Kakashi and strangle his arms around Kakashi as he then wrapped his legs around Kakashi's. Flashing in front of the two at the same time, Sakura and Sasuke appeared both holding a kunai to Kakashi's neck.

"Got you," Sakura said. Sasuke touched the bells as they shook, ringing. Naruto let go of Kakashi and claimed, "Heh, we did it again, Kakashi-sensei." Evidently, he was smug with his nose high up in the air.

"Great job, you three," Tsunade praised, jumping down from the tree along with Jiraiya who commented, "Sakura's like a younger Tsunade."

Sakura glanced at the disaster and muttered, "It could be worse." Sasuke and Naruto twitched at her statement. She could do more? Not only were there gigantic cracks in the ground, some of the surrounding trees were smashed in half. She was a walking hurricane.

"True," Tsunade confirmed as she asked, "Well, did they pass, Kakashi?"

"Eh? Oh, yes, you three passed. The key to passing this test was teamwork," Kakashi explained, shutting his orange book as Tsunade glared angrily. Jiraiya defended, "Oi, Tsunade, don't make me lose a loyal reader! You go ahead and keep reading, Kakashi."

Tsunade popped her knuckles and Jiraiya stiffened at the bone-snapping sounds.

"At first, I thought you were going to fail," Kakashi stated and said, "But you managed to pull it together as a three-man team."

Naruto let out a happy laugh, slinging his arms around Sasuke and Sakura. Tsunade walked closer to Sakura and asked, "Sakura, could you come with me back to the office?"

Removing herself from Naruto, Sakura replied, "Sure, Shishou."

As Tsunade and Sakura walked back, Team 7 and Jiraiya watched the two disappear. Kakashi looked around to assess the damage as he muttered, "To think that could've been me."

Naruto laughed at Kakashi and Sasuke sighed, hoping that he'd never be the one at the receiving end.

* * *

"Sakura, what are you going to do about your secret," Tsunade asked in a low voice, only so that Sakura could hear. Stuffing her hands behind her back, Sakura replied, "I'm not really sure, Tsunade-sama."

"I guess I could tell them but that would only cause some more curiousity, wouldn't it?" Sakura inquired, glancing at Tsunade. Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose and asked, "Have you gotten any closer to finding the solution?"

Sakura shook her head and muttered, "No."

Walking into the office, Tsunade ordered, "Sit down. I need to talk with you, Sakura."

Taking a seat, Sakura asked, "What is it?" Tsunade pulled out the report that Itachi gave her this morning and asked, "I heard that you've encountered Orochimaru?"

Remembering that the snake sannin was Tsunade's teammate, Sakura replied evenly, "Yes, I have encountered him."

"He's after you because of your medical ninjutsu?" Tsunade questioned. Sakura nodded and Tsunade reasoned, "This is why I want you to stay in Konoha, away from people like him."

"Yes, Shishou," Sakura stated as Tsunade turned to look out the window, thinking. What was she going to do with Sakura?

"I heard that there were also rogues wanting you to join their forces? Is that true also?" Tsunade questioned, still looking out the window. Sakura nodded and muttered, "It's true."

"You didn't cooperate with them, did you?" Tsunade inquired. "Of course not, Shishou; you should know that I would never affiliate myself with missing-nins," Sakura answered. Tsunade turned around and replied, "I know, Sakura but as Hokage I'm just doing my job."

Sakura nodded before the door slammed open and in rushed a Chunin male who exhaustedly stated, "We were ambushed, Hokage-sama."

"Where are your members?" Tsunade asked, rushing out from behind her desk. Her long, green garment blew back as she exited her office. Sakura followed the Chunin and Tsunade silently.

"They're at the main gates, severely injured. Team 7 is there with ANBU Captain Uchiha and his squad," the Chunin informed. Tsunade gestured for him to continue explaining.

"We were nearing the borders of Kumo when several shinobis ambushed us," the male explained. Narrowing her amber eyes, Tsunade asked, "Where were they from?"

"They wore hitai-ates from the Sound and Lightning," the man informed. "I would expect it from the Sound, but from the Lightning? We are in the middle of negotiating a treaty with Kumo," Tsunade pondered aloud. The man nodded, baffled just as much as the Hokage was.

Arriving at the main gates, Sakura noticed that the sun was inching closer to the horizon. What was she going to do?

Nearing the barely alive bodies, Sakura noticed a blonde kunoichi healing them. Her healing was sufficient for just healing the normal injuries but it wasn't adequate enough for healing severe damages.

Naruto looked at Sakura and asked, "Sakura-chan? Can't you do something about this?" Sakura stared at the three dying males. There was a Hyuga and two other non-clan shinobis.

Tsunade bent down and checked their pulses before saying, "Ino, how are they holding up?" Shaking her head, Ino stuttered, "T-they might not make it."

Tsunade stiffened at the words, but realized that Ino was right. There was a slim chance of survival.

Walking past the Konoha shinobis, Sakura bent down and inspected their injuries. Their skin was burnt, leaving their flesh vulnerable to infection. The attack was intentional for sure.

"Whoever inflicted the attacks must have had some sort of medical knowledge," Sakura muttered, placing a hand on the Hyuga's wrist. His pulse was slowing down.

"Sakura-chan, can't you do something?" Naruto asked, worried. Sakura glanced at the blond teammate and back at the unconscious male. Tsunade was working on one of the males with Ino on the other. That left the Hyuga for her.

Ino glanced at Sakura and informed, "He has a slim chance of surviving. I managed to stop the blood from flowing but it won't stay put for long."

Sakura nodded and quickly formed some seals. Tsunade turned around to look at Sakura before saying, "I know you're a medical genius and all, Sakura, but don't overdo it." Sakura nodded abruptly.

Concentrating on the unconscious Hyuga, Sakura quickly placed her hands on the Hyuga's chest and circulated her chakra into his heart, pumping his chest. She had to keep his blood moving throughout his body.

The other two males stirred and one of them muttered, "Takuma, Takuma, don't die on us."

With one hand placed on his chest, Sakura began to heal his burnt skin with the other hand. Tsunade's eyes widened as she asked, "Sakura, you learned how to heal different body parts simultaneously?"

Sakura looked up at Tsunade, smiled and answered, "Eh, kind of. It's different when you're healing animals instead of humans."

"Correct, Sakura. It's also different when you're healing two different body parts simultaneously though," Tsunade added again. Sakura nodded.

"Why? What's the difference?" Naruto asked. He was confused. Wasn't it the same when healing separate body parts at the same time?

Shaking her head, Ino explained, "When healing two separate body parts at the same time, it usually means that the medic is advanced in chakra control. It also means that the medic has to use up more chakra during the healing process, Naruto."

"Because the medic is healing two injuries that are located apart from each other at the same time," Sasuke added, staring at Sakura's glowing hands. Naruto nodded and muttered, "You're so cool, Sakura-chan."

Shrugging, Sakura scoffed, "Am I?" Naruto nodded fervidly as Sakura finished healing the burns and placed her hand back onto his chest like the other one.

"He's recovering," Ino stated, astonished. Sakura reached into her pocket before pulling out a pill. Tsunade inquired, "What is that, Sakura?"

Smiling, Sakura informed, "It's my latest healing pill, Shishou."

Amber eyes widening, Tsunade asked, "You finished it?" Sakura nodded and explained, "I finished it about three years ago. I even use it myself in times of trouble."

Kakashi stared at the white pill as Sakura popped it into Takuma's mouth and continued healing him.

"What does it do?" Itachi asked, speaking for the first time. Glancing up at the ANBU captain, Sakura explained, "It goes into the human body and heals as much internal injures within a certain time span."

"How long is the time span?" Sasuke questioned. Shisui peeked over Sasuke's shoulder, curious. Genma was sitting on a branch, gazing intently.

"I managed to increase it to five minutes a year ago. So, it should stop healing five minutes from now," Sakura replied. Naruto tilted his head and asked, "Isn't five minutes too short though?"

Shaking her head, Sakura explained, "Five minutes is more than enough, Naruto. The pill consists of strong herbs that I fused together. I created the pill to work at the rate I heal so it kind of uses my chakra."

"Sakura heals at a fast rate," Tsunade added. Naruto nodded and continued to stare with interest.

Retreating, Sakura stood up and muttered, "I'm done healing him. He should survive now but he'll have to spend several days in the hospital under intense care as he recovers. The pill should wear off in about three more minutes."

Tsunade patted Sakura on her back and said, "You never fail to amaze me, Sakura." Sakura muttered thanks and stared at the setting sun. Her hair was going to change any minute now.

Suddenly, there was a green cloth tossed over her head as Tsunade stated, "You look cold, Sakura. Use this, but don't wipe it with your nose." Sakura smiled at her teacher as she covered her head with Tsunade's long garment.

"Go rest, Sakura," Tsunade exclaimed as several medic ninjas came to pick up the recovering Chunins. Sakura nodded slightly and vanished. Itachi stared at the empty spot, suspicious. The kunoichi was hiding something. And he was going to find it.

Ino hurried the medics back to the hospital.

"Uchihas, Genma and Kakashi, come with me. Naruto go get Shikamaru and tell him to come to my office with you," Tsunade ordered. Naruto disappeared in search of Shikamaru.

* * *

Walking back into her empty office, Tsunade informed, "The Chunin squad was ambushed by a group of Sound and Lightning shinobis."

Itachi narrowed his eyes and questioned, "Last time I checked, I believe we were in the middle of negotiating a treaty with them, Hokage-sama?" He would not let harm come to Konoha.

"That's what I thought, too," Tsunade muttered and plopped into her rolly chair while saying, "I want to send Neji's ANBU squad to investigate the area. It'll be less risky for his team since he has the Byakugan. Besides he's got Konoha's Fighting Leaf, Lee along with TenTen. That girl is amazingly scary with her weapons."

"It sounds reasonable," Shikamaru praised, entering the room with his hands stuffed into his pockets. Naruto followed him and shut the door while saying, "Why can't Team 7 go, Baa-chan?"

Tsunade hardened her stare and answered, "Naruto, your team is still in the process of becoming ANBU." Naruto nodded, sulky. Sasuke shook his head in disbelief, smacking Naruto's head while muttering, "Stupid Dobe."

"Neji's ANBU squad will leave tomorrow morning. Team 7, you will complete your training for the time being," Tsunade ordered as her gaze landed on Itachi's squad. She needed them to stay in Konoha in case there was an attack against the village.

"Itachi, you and your squad will help Team 7 train for the ANBU exams, got it?" Tsunade commanded. Genma and Shisui smirked evilly. They were going to have so much fun torturing the team. Naruto and Sasuke glared at the older ANBU team. Kakashi flipped a page from his orange book, nodding.

"We will help them prepare properly, Hokage-sama," Itachi evenly replied in his velvet smooth voice. This was a perfect opportunity for him to investigate a bit more on Sakura.

"Might I remind you all to not anger Sakura; she's still settling down," Tsunade muttered and added, "I wouldn't want her disappearing from Konoha and if she does, I will make sure that you all won't be able to move for a month." Tsunade smiled sweetly and shooed them out.

"Training begins tomorrow," Itachi stated.

* * *

Sitting on her bed, Sakura glanced around the simple furnished room. Remembering Naruto's words, Sakura muttered, "This is my home."

Oddly, the word felt a bit relaxing. For once in eight years, she could actually call a place her home. Lying on the bed, Sakura rolled onto her side and touched her pink hair. How was she going to tell Naruto them?

Dressed in dark shorts and a white shirt with pink blossoms etched all over the shirt, Sakura sauntered into the dark kitchen and sat in a wooden chair. Staring at the blue wall, Sakura remembered the time when she lived in Iwa with her parents.

There was one night where her mother was humming her to sleep. At the time she was only seven, Sakura was lying in her bed as she stared at her mother silently.

Caressing Sakura's pink hair, Mebuki softly stated, "I'm sorry I had to change your beautiful hair into black hair during the day time, Sakura."

Shaking her head, the young Sakura assured, "It's alright, Okaa-san. My hair will still be pink in the night."

"We wanted you to have your hair pink year round," Kizashi stated, setting a hand on his wife's slender shoulder. Mebuki glanced in the other direction, wiping away some traitorous tears. Noticing, Sakura sat up and asked, "Ne, Okaa-san, why did you put a jutsu on me?"

"To keep the bad man away from you," Mebuki replied, rubbing Sakura's tiny shoulders. Confused, Sakura asked, "Who is the bad man?"

"We'll tell you when you are older, Sakura," Mebuki assured as Kizashi comforted, "Don't worry, little Hime. Okaa-san and Otou-san will always be here to protect you."

Snapping out of the memory, Sakura suddenly realized that she was crying. Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, Sakura muttered bitterly, "You said that you'd always be here."

Pulling her legs onto the chair as she pressed her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her slim legs, Sakura let out a depressing sigh.

Thinking about her life and how she spent most of her youthful years running and running, Sakura muttered, "Wouldn't it be nice if I could just settle in Konoha?"

She was tired of running and searching for answers. Maybe she would just sit in Konoha and perhaps the solutions would come to her?

She was tired of acting strong and wandering alone with no companions. Every day she'd wake up, look in the rented inn room's mirror and tell herself that she was fine. She was strong. She was completely okay with being alone, isolated.

Her monstrous strength played a key role in her strong facade that she often put up. Deep inside, she was just sad and shattered pieces of what used to be a happy girl.

"Ugh, I'm so pitiful," Sakura mumbled against her knees. She could hear her Inner saying how it was best for her to just stay put in Konoha. Clearly, she wasn't at her best emotional state. Coming to Konoha just triggered a chain of emotions that Sakura kept her heart locked away from.

Sighing, Sakura released her legs and placed her hands on top of the smooth, wooden table before setting her head on to the table. Her silky, pink hair covered her face like a curtain.

Continuing to remember that night, Sakura shut her emerald eyes as she sank back into the memory.

Lying back in the bed, positioned between her mother and father, Sakura asked, "Okaa-san, when will you tell me the answer?"

Shifting herself to stare at Sakura, Mebuki repeated, "The answer?" Sakura nodded and phrased, "When will you tell me the answer to getting my pink hair back?"

Staring at Kizashi, Mebuki answered, "I'll tell you when you're older, okay?" Pouting, Sakura nodded obediently and muttered, "Fine, Okaa-san."

Wrapping an arm around Sakura, Mebuki rested her chin on top of Sakura's pink locks while apologizing, "I'm sorry, Sakura. I really am, but you're going to have to wait a bit."

Kizashi reached over and hugged Mebuki while teasing, "Sakura-hime, aren't you impatient?" Shrugging, the young Sakura remarked, "Hmm, I wonder who I got it from, Otou-san?"

Kizashi laughed merrily and replied, "Me too, Sakura, me too."

* * *

Jumping about an inch in her chair, Sakura glanced at the loud sound outside of the door. What was outside of her apartment? Walking softly towards the door with Tsunade's green garment covering her pink hair, Sakura peeked through the window.

Naruto and Sasuke were arguing about something. Sighing, Sakura got up and opened the door while asking, "Unno, did you two need something?"

Naruto sheepishly looked at Sakura before asking, "Hey, Sakura-chan, did you want to come join us for dinner?" Biting the bottom of her lips, Sakura glanced at Sasuke who added, "You don't have to come if you don't want to, Sakura. We won't force you."

Rocking back and forth on her heels, Sakura hesitantly stated, "I can't go out like this."

"But Itachi's ANBU squad is going to be there and they're going to discuss about training tomorrow, Sakura-chan," Naruto pressed. His blue eyes shined in the night.

Confused, Sakura questioned, "Why are they training us?" She glanced at Sasuke and felt and eerie resemblance between the two Uchihas. Perhaps they were brothers or close cousins? Shaking her head, Sakura thought to herself that she'd ask Sasuke that next time.

"You weren't there, but Baa-chan ordered them to help us prepare for the ANBU exams," Naruto explained, waving a hand to imply no worries. Sakura nodded and said, "I don't think I can join you for dinner but thanks for coming though."

Naruto pouted and whined, "But Sakura-chan you have to come. I don't want you to feel left out."

Strangely, Sakura felt a warm feeling rise from within. Staring at the two, Sakura sighed and opened the door wider as she stated, "Come in, you two. Perhaps I should clarify a bit more?"

Naruto and Sasuke glanced at each other before walking into her furnished apartment. Hearing Sakura lock the door, Naruto gulped and Sasuke smacked the blonde's head. There was no need to get scared. It wasn't like Sakura was going to murder them.

Gesturing to the couch, Sakura said, "Sit down so that I can tell you the reason why I can't go eat dinner with you."

Sitting on the comfy couch next to Naruto, Sasuke questioned, "What is your reason, Sakura?" Naruto nodded, nervous. "Relax, Naruto. I'm not going to kill you," Sakura muttered.

Pulling the green garment off of her head, Sakura tossed it onto the chair and stood still as her pink hair cascaded down to her shoulders. Naruto's blue eyes widened along with Sasuke's onyx eyes.

"You have pink hair?" Sasuke asked, incredulous. Sakura nodded, racing her fingers through her hair as she explained, "This is my normal hair color. I'm under a jutsu currently."

"So you have black hair in the day time and pink in the night?" Naruto asked, intrigued. Sakura nodded and slumped onto the single sofa.

"That's why you can't go with us," Naruto muttered, connecting the pieces and Sasuke added, "And that's why you wanted to stop at the inn last night." Sakura nodded and thought to herself that they weren't that bad.

Naruto snapped his fingers and questioned, "Does Baa-chan know?" Sakura nodded and informed, "The only ones who know are Shishou, Shizune, and you two. You can't tell anyone else."

Naruto nodded and Sasuke asked, "So why are you under a jutsu? Who cast it upon you?"

Sitting up straight, Sakura answered, "There was a man chasing after us and so my mother put the jutsu on me. I think she hoped that it would deter him from finding me."

Sasuke nodded and Naruto asked, "Why did you decide to tell us, Sakura-chan?"

Lying against the sofa, Sakura mused out loud, "You're right, Naruto, why did I tell you two?" Glancing at the two teammates, Sakura concluded, "I guess, for the first time, I actually felt comfortable around someone."

"So that means?" Naruto prodded, lifting his brows. Sasuke smacked the back of his head and phrased, "That means that she trusts us, Dobe." Sakura laughed at the two causing them to soften a bit.

Sasuke stared at the new teammate and thought quietly that maybe Sakura wasn't as bad as her temper. Naruto smiled warmly and muttered, "Thanks, Sakura-chan."

Standing up, Naruto said, "Well, then I guess Sasuke-Teme and I should go so that no one suspects us, Sakura-chan." Sakura nodded and opened the door.

"Be at the training grounds tomorrow at 7 a.m.," Sasuke stated before dragging Naruto away from Sakura. Shutting the door, Sakura smiled and said, "Maybe things will work out for me?"

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Of Lies and Secrets"**

**PLEASE REVIEW :) **

* * *

A/N: Review :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Of Lies and Secrets**

* * *

***Chapter 6: Cancellation**

* * *

**NORMAL POV:**

**12 years ago…**

"You have good chakra control, Sakura," Mebuki praised, watching Sakura walk up the tree perfectly. The six year old Sakura beamed brightly as she turned around to walk back down the tree.

Kizashi walked out of the cottage-like house and said, "Do you want to learn the wind jutsu from the other day, Sakura?" Nodding, Sakura exclaimed, "I'd love to learn it, Otou-san!" She ran towards her father.

Mebuki laughed and said, "I'll go make some lunch. Keep an eye on her." Kizashi nodded and explained, "So first, you should learn the seals." He began to introduce Sakura to the seals as she stared intently.

Mebuki softened at the sight of her family. She just hoped that she could hold the man off before he would come for Sakura. Staring at her only child, Mebuki sighed as she felt a trace of guilt wash over her.

She had to do it for Sakura's sake. Hopefully, Sakura would come to forgive her when the time came.

* * *

**Present…**

Standing in front of the mirror, Sakura stared at herself as she remembered her conversation with Naruto and Sasuke last night. She felt more relaxed now that they knew her secret.

Slipping on her light pink elbow protectors, Sakura flexed her arms as she adjusted the elbow protectors comfortably. Patting her light pink skirt with her dark shorts underneath, she then smoothed her black shirt with no sleeves. With her stare lingering on her black hair for a few seconds, Sakura left her apartment locked.

Entering the training grounds, Sakura noticed that there were so many sections scattered throughout the large forest. She wasn't sure which section they belonged to.

Fortunately, Naruto arrived and said, "Ah, Sakura-chan, let's go to our section." Sakura nodded and asked, "Where is it?"

Naruto gave Sakura a serious look before grimly saying, "We got the section that's isolated from people, Sakura-chan. And when we scream out of pain, no one will be able to save us."

"Unno, Naruto, are you just being exaggerative?" Sakura questioned, raising a delicate brow. Naruto shook his head and informed bubbly, "That's why Teme and I train there. That's usually where hardcore training takes place."

Sakura nodded simply. She wasn't sure of what to say.

"Those who want to train seriously and damage the environment go over there," Shisui informed, walking with Genma. Sakura turned around to look at the two older men. Shisui winked and Sakura shrugged at him unresponsively.

Confused, Shisui muttered, "Man, how come she's so indifferent? I'm Konoha's best and handsomest man alive." Biting on his senbon, Genma challenged, "Tch, yeah right, Shisui."

Naruto shook his head and warned, "Sakura-chan, don't stray too close to them. They might be a bad influence." Kakashi walked towards them with the orange book in his hand, chuckling at Naruto's warning before he commented not amused, "Naruto, you're funny."

Naruto leaned closer to Sakura and informed, "And Kakashi-sensei? You should be careful around him. He checks out women just like them two over there, Sakura-chan."

Sakura arched her brows and replied, "I'll make sure to remember that." Naruto gave Sakura a wary look before nodding once. Sometimes the Kyuubi vessel took great efforts to emphasize his points.

Shisui and Genma laughed when Kakashi twitched, shut his book and demanded, "I do not check out women, Naruto!"

"So, you like men then?" Shisui asked innocently. Genma bit on his senbon to prevent himself from laughing. Naruto chuckled a bit and Sakura just rolled her eyes. She couldn't wait for the more sane members to come and pull her out of the rising misery.

"Tch, whatever, Shisui. I don't have to be wasting with you brats, excluding you Sakura," Kakashi exclaimed and flipped open his book. Sakura sighed inwardly. She was in for another long day.

Hearing adoring sighs from other females, they all turned around to look at the Uchiha brothers who were walking side by side, striding in their usual outfits for their shinobi career.

Kakashi shut his book as the Uchiha brothers took their sweet time strutting towards them, shining their glorious clan symbol that was embedded onto the back of their dark shirts. Dark colors happened to be Uchiha colors.

Leaning next to Sakura again, Naruto gravely pointed out, "Uchiha Itachi, that's Teme's older brother, Sakura-chan. He's in his own league but still girls swoon over him just as much as they swoon over Sasuke-Teme."

Sakura glanced at Naruto and thought to herself how similar Sasuke and Itachi looked. She then returned her stare back onto the brothers as they were now half way across the training ground.

Still leaning close to her, Naruto exclaimed loudly, "That is my buddy, Sasuke-Teme. He's extremely stoic and most of the time he's focused on one thing."

Sakura looked at Naruto questioningly as he then stated, "Girls."

Genma and Shisui laughed while high-fiving Naruto as Kakashi just chuckled. Sakura found it hard to believe Naruto's claim.

Reaching them, Sasuke smacked Naruto behind his head and corrected, "Not girls, Dobe. If you want to know what I'm focused on right now, it's whipping your ass during training today, Dobe."

Sakura watched the two banter and bicker like two year olds.

"Fine then, Teme! You'll be so upset when I beat you down to the ground that you'll go running to your mommy whining about the dirt in your duck-butt hair!" Naruto exclaimed, huffing as he crossed his arms.

Sasuke shot the blonde a dark glare causing Naruto to glare back with all he could muster. Turning to stare at Sakura suddenly, Naruto asked, "Ne, Sakura-chan, who glares better? Teme or me?"

"Unno, Naruto, you're not really the type for glaring," Sakura stated. Letting her words sink in, Naruto questioned, "Wait, what did you just say?"

Shisui, Genma and Kakashi laughed aloud. They were unable to hold their laughter anymore. Smirking smugly, Sasuke explained, "She means that I glare better than you, Dobe."

Unfolding his arms, Naruto muttered, "Tch, watch Teme. I'll win you during training anyways."

Itachi took several steps in the opposite direction before stating, "Go to section C." Naruto smiled evilly, rubbing his hands together as he then pulled Sakura and Sasuke with him, dragging them to the isolated section.

* * *

Blocking the shurikens with a kunai, Sakura stood back to back with Sasuke as she asked, "Where's Naruto?" She felt Sasuke shake his head and mutter, "I don't know, but we're going to have to find him before we leave this place."

For the first half of the day, Itachi had assigned them to a mock exam. The exam consisted of a booby trap forest that contained three flags. And as long as Team 7 brought the three flags back out alive, they would pass the mock exam.

Hearing a familiar shout, Sasuke stated, "That's Dobe. Let's go."

Sakura and Sasuke jumped through the forest, scanning for a blob of yellow-orange. Spotting Naruto deflecting a horde of kunais, Sakura said, "Sasuke, he's over there."

"Dobe, get up here," Sasuke ordered. Naruto glanced up at them and shook his head before pointing at the trees around him.

Peering down intently, Sasuke and Sakura realized that he was trapped between some wires that if possibly touched, it would trigger the explosives that were pasted onto the trees. Sasuke then looked at Sakura and suggested, "I'll get him. You punch the trees and then transport near the exit, got it?"

Nodding, Sakura muttered, "Right. Don't miss him since he's right there."

Sasuke grunted 'Hn' at her warning as she jumped backwards onto the ground and took several steps away from a tree, lining it up like blocks of dominoes as she prepared to knock them down in one, large blow. Sasuke bent his knees as he prepared to lunge for Naruto and escape towards the exit.

Slamming a fist against the tree, Sakura watched for a second as the trees crashed into one another and Sasuke fled with Naruto. Before the explosives could explode, Sakura had already transported safe from its harm.

* * *

Standing in section C, Itachi and the others stared in the direction of the trap-laced part of the forest. There was an explosion as the trees collapsed. Flocks of dark crows flew into the sky, flapping their wings.

"It seems like they finally reached the explosives," Shisui muttered. Kakashi went back to reading his book and Genma questioned, "Worried, Kakashi?" Looking at Genma, Kakashi replied nonchalantly, "Not really."

A few minutes later, Team 7 appeared with the three flags. Shisui stared at Naruto trying to stifle his laugh as he asked, "Naruto, what happened to you?"

"Oh, nothing, Sasuke-Teme decided to rescue me from some explosives and then drag me through the dirt. Oh, don't forget the mud," Naruto answered in an 'it's-okay-everything's- great…NOT' tone.

Sasuke muttered, "You got what you deserved, Dobe." Naruto leaned towards Sasuke who also leaned towards Naruto. There was practically visible lightning shooting through their eyes at each other. And what sucked was that Sakura was the one standing in the middle, getting first row access to the scene.

Naruto said, "Teme." Sasuke glared, "Dobe." And so the two called each other's name back and forth, unaware of Sakura's increasing irritation. The rest watched amused with Team 7 as Sakura stared at her two oblivious teammates, annoyed. When was she going to snap?

"Dobe," Sasuke stated. "Teme," Naruto said. They glared at each other again before starting the pattern.

"That's it, you two are dead," Sakura seethed, smacking them both with her fists. Naruto clutched his head as Sasuke muttered, "God, Sakura, you can really pack a punch."

"Well, that's what you two get for not shutting up," Sakura defended, flexing her fingers as she glared at the two guys.

Standing up, Sasuke and Naruto mumbled, "We won't do it again." Letting out a breath, Sakura added, "Not in front of me ever again unless you want to get hit."

Sasuke and Naruto nodded. Kakashi muttered something about angry women being scary.

"Right, so where do we go now?" Sakura asked brightly, clapping her hands together. Obviously, she was still fuming. She just needed a punching bag and everything would be set.

Smirking, Itachi replied, "We'll be doing individual fights." Naruto and Sasuke gulped, hoping that they weren't put up against Sakura.

* * *

Breathing harshly, Sakura yanked out a senbon from her arm. Sakura glanced at her scratched arms as she healed herself and muttered, "Healing is such a great ability."

Genma was on the other side from her, clutching an injured arm. He was bleeding from her previous punch that she connected with his jaw. Sighing, he complained, "Why did I have to be put up against her?"

The others were sitting on a high branch, away from Sakura's fists. There were craters in the ground from her small fists and scattered senbons from Genma.

Standing up, Sakura poured chakra into her fists as she mumbled under her breath, "One last trick." Genma willed himself to stand up as he grabbed out his trump card, a poisoned senbon. He made sure that the amount of poison wouldn't be lethal, just something to paralyze her for the time being.

Tossing some smoke bombs at her opponent, Sakura slipped into the cloud of smoke diligently.

Charging towards Genma with her glowing fist sent towards him, Sakura leapt into the air and pulled her fist at Genma who flicked a senbon at her. Deflecting it with a kunai, the senbon poofed away as the real senbon pierced into her arm. Sakura winced in pain a bit before landing back into the cloud of smoke.

Genma smirked at the sight of Sakura getting injured by his senbon. The smoke cleared as Sakura lay on the battle ground, unconscious.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted, concerned. Sasuke stiffened and stated, "The senbon was poisoned."

A couple minutes later as Genma walked closer to the unconscious kunoichi, Sakura morphed into a log. Leaving Genma stunned, Sakura appeared behind him and placed a kunai against his neck as she said, "I got you."

Sakura smiled smugly as she asked, "And who said that I wasn't going to win?" Genma raised a hand up and surrendered, "Yeah, whatever. You win, Sakura."

Placing the kunai back into the holster, Sakura was pulled into a bone-crushing hug from Naruto. Once Naruto let go of Sakura, Sasuke smirked at her before saying, "Not bad."

"Thanks," Sakura replied, healing her injuries before offering, "Do you want me to heal yours, Genma?" Turning around, Genma said, "Of course, Sakura."

Watching Sakura heal his injured arm and cuts, Genma commented, "Oi, Taichou, we should get a medic on our team too." Itachi turned around to look at Genma and Sakura.

"Too bad, you can't have ours," Naruto smugly taunted. Shisui stepped in and challenged, "Oh yeah, says who? If I want Sakura-chan, then I could just take her any day I felt like it."

Sakura punched the boasting Uchiha and muttered something about men and their pride. Shisui walked back to the black-haired kunoichi, rubbing his head as he complained, "Ne, Sakura-chan wasn't that a bit harsh?"

"Tch, you were talking about me like I wasn't even here. At least do without my attention," Sakura reasoned. Naruto laughed and Sasuke just smirked in delight. Genma shook his head and muttered, "You fit in well, Sakura."

Seeing a hawk screech in the sky, Itachi stated, "There's an emergency meeting in which the Hokage has called us for."

They rushed out of the training grounds and onto the roofs, speeding towards the Hokage's office.

* * *

Entering the office, Itachi asked, "Tsunade-sama, you called for us?" Whirling around in her chair, Tsunade nodded and asked, "Sakura is with you?"

"Yes, she is, Hokage-sama," Itachi replied in his expressionless voice. Sakura appeared next to Itachi and said, "Did you need something, Shishou?"

Shaking her head before rubbing her temples, Tsunade stated, "The ANBU exams have been cancelled for the year." Naruto let out a whining sound as Sasuke asked, "Why was it removed?"

"We are low on Jonins, Chunins and the ANBU members. They've been sent out on top priority missions. And so the elders have decided to not hold the ANBU exams this year," Tsunade explained. Sakura let out a quiet breath, relieved a bit though she made sure to keep it to herself.

Naruto complained some more before Danzo entered into the office. Tsunade cursed under her breath and greeted, "What do you need, Danzo?"

Staring at Naruto, Danzo advised, "It would be best for you to close your mouth and just obediently take orders from those above, Kyuubi vessel."

Naruto glared at the elder and Sakura thought to herself that Naruto was capable of glaring. Removing his stare from Naruto to Sakura, Danzo took a few steps before saying, "You must be Haruno Sakura? Tsunade's apprentice, I believe?"

Sakura nodded, remaining quiet. There was something odd about him. Maybe it was the fact that he had a bandaged eye and a bandaged arm? It made Sakura curious.

"Alright, now scram, kids," Tsunade ordered, waving a hand. She wanted to get them out of here before Danzo could start bashing.

"Leaving so soon?" Danzo asked, amused. He knew what Tsunade was planning. She was trying to protect the Haruno survivor.

Kakashi pushed Naruto and Sasuke out as Genma and Shisui turned to leave. Itachi gently placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, urging for her to follow him out the office. Trailing after Itachi, Sakura walked past Danzo as he stated only loud enough for her to hear, "The Haruno were a disgrace."

Suddenly stopping, Sakura turned to glare at the man. Noticing, Tsunade asked, "Sakura is there something the matter?"

Glancing at Tsunade, Sakura smoothly lied, "Nothing, Shishou. The elderly man was just bidding his farewell to me." Sakura turned to exit the door and was soon followed after Naruto and Sasuke.

Walking down the stairs, Sakura smirked to herself. She could feel it. The solutions were starting to unveil themselves. Until then, Sakura would just wait patiently in Konoha.

Standing with his squad, Itachi watched as Sakura left the building smirking. Narrowing his eyes, Itachi pondered what Sakura was planning. Despite her innocent and attractive looks, there was something more to her.

Leaning on the rail, Shisui mused, "Danzo seems interested in Sakura, doesn't he, Itachi?" Staring at Itachi, Genma asked, "What do you plan on doing now?"

"Keep an eye on Danzo, you two," Itachi stated, leaving as Shisui asked, "What about the girl?"

"I'll take care of that part," Itachi replied calmly.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Of Lies and Secrets"**

**PLEASE REVIEW :) **

* * *

A/N: Review ;)


	7. Chapter 7

**Of Lies and Secrets**

* * *

***Chapter 7: Memory**

* * *

**NORMAL POV: **

**16 years ago…**

It had been about two years after the Kyuubi was unleashed and wreaking havoc upon Konoha. Mebuki and Kizashi had fled to Iwa with their only child, Sakura.

Standing inside of the unlit bedroom where the sleeping two year old Sakura lay, Mebuki let out a regretful sigh. Pulling her close to him, Kizashi comforted, "Mebuki, we had to do it. Don't feel so guilty; it was only for her sake."

Nodding silently, Mebuki wiped a tear and stated in a hoarse voice, "I know, Kizashi, but it was just so hard. She was in pain; I could tell by the way she stiffened tensely as I sealed it within her." Rubbing her arms, Kizashi soothed, "I know, it was hard for me to just stand there and watch you two. But right now the best thing we can do is to just stay by her side and protect her, Mebuki."

She nodded and muttered, "I'll protect her until I die. He's not going to lay a finger on her as long as I'm alive."

Mebuki then glanced at her husband who prodded, "We should do it before she wakes up, Mebuki." Kizashi stared at her with hope and optimism. He was always an optimistic man and that was one of the reasons why Mebuki had married him. He was extremely reliable in times like this.

Walking towards the exhausted Sakura, Mebuki stroked her soft, pink hair before her hands glowed with blue chakra. Placing a chakra-illuminated hand onto her child's forehead, Mebuki orally chanted the seals to block this memory.

They had to keep Sakura ignorant of this event. She couldn't know that she carried something powerful within her, something that could save lives. That something could also be used for evil deeds should it ever fall into the hands of ill-minded shinobis.

Removing her hands as she finished, Mebuki gazed at Sakura as she began to stir awake from her slumber. Kizashi slipped next to Sakura's other side, smiling with affection.

Fluttering her doe-like eyes, Sakura questioned sleepily, "Okaa-san?"

Hushing her, Mebuki soothed, "Go back to sleep, Sakura. You need your rest."

Slumping back into the fluffy pillow, the young Sakura quickly drifted back to sleep as she remained unaware of what just occurred. With her slender arms wrapped around the child, Mebuki muttered, "All in time, Sakura. All in time will you then remember; forgive me, my dear child."

"Mebuki, you can't shoulder the burden by yourself. I should be at blame since I approved of your actions," Kizashi reasoned, hoping that she wouldn't stress herself too much from the event.

* * *

**Present…**

Stumbling out of her comfy bed, Sakura cradled her head as she groaned in pain. She was sleeping dreamlessly when all of a sudden she felt a pounding and striking pain causing her to flash her jade eyes open. Placing a hand on the pale wall, Sakura muttered, "This is worse than a migraine."

Dragging her body to the couch as she draped a thick, cozy blanket around herself, Sakura managed to fall asleep for a few hours before the sun rose.

* * *

"Sakura-san, you could've dodged the attack," Itachi critically pointed out as he appeared a few feet away from her. Her teammates and the others glanced worriedly at the injured apprentice clutching her bleeding arm.

Sluggishly, Sakura forced herself to stand up as she replied in a strained voice, "I was just distracted, Taichou."

Naruto worriedly glanced at Sasuke who narrowed his eyes at the female teammate. It was unusual for Sakura to be _this_ distracted. She was usually alive and analytic as she sparred with them in the mornings, especially when she was fighting against Itachi. They were pretty competitive against one another.

After Tsunade had conversed with Itachi and received his approval, Tsunade combined Team 7 and Itachi's ANBU squad until Team 7 could become an official ANBU squad which wouldn't be until the next year. Regardless of the ANBU exams being cancelled, Itachi and his colleagues found it necessary to keep training them mercilessly.

Turning away so that her back was to them, Sakura winced and bit her bottom lip as she struggled to heal herself. It was never this hard for her to heal her wounds. She figured that she was probably low on her chakra reserves.

"You couldn't even lay a hand on me, Haruno," Itachi stated in a stony voice. Sakura slowly turned to stare at her new captain as she replied smoothly, "My apologies, Taichou. I wasn't sure if you wanted me to land a hit on you."

"This isn't the time to joke around, Sakura. If I was an enemy, I could have killed you easily," Itachi demanded icily. He gazed at her with his penetrating stare.

Sakura felt her heart jump at the sound of Itachi calling her by her first name. After all the training battles with him, she had come to find him tolerable. And her Inner even began to have some intense desire for the older Uchiha which Sakura had to fight against since she didn't even dare to think about her captain like that.

"Right, my bad, I won't do-" Sakura responded but was interrupted as Itachi harshly commented, "If you are truly this pathetic, Haruno, I suggest that you leave the team, understand? I wouldn't want my teammates risking their lives to protect an unprepared member who doesn't even seem to be serious."

Restraining her boiling anger, Sakura remarked evenly, "Well, it's good to know that we're on the same page, Taichou. I wouldn't want that to happen either. I will think about your generous suggestion. I'll take my leave first."

Naruto opened his mouth to say something but Sakura disappeared in a flash. Sasuke shook his head and sighed as Kakashi plopped onto the grass along with the distressed Genma.

Setting a hand on Itachi's shoulder, Shisui asked, "Ne, Itachi, weren't you being a bit too harsh? Sakura-chan was obviously trying her best."

With his usual expressionless face, Itachi calmly informed, "The world is cruel and cold-blooded. I was just helping Sakura realize that this isn't a playground, Shisui."

Shisui shrugged and dropped onto the grass, leaving Itachi to stand by himself. Pinning the senbon between two fingers as he casually laid on his back, Genma questioned, "What are you going to do if she leaves Konoha, Taichou?"

Sitting up, Naruto agreed, "Yeah, Genma's got a point. If Sakura-chan does leave, Baa-chan's going to be furious."

Willingly shutting the perverted book, Kakashi chimed, "Sakura's not like that. She's not the type to run away from problems." Genma shrugged and remarked, "You never know, Kakashi. She's not so easy to read."

Staring at the falling leaves, Itachi answered, "Hatake's right. Sakura won't leave."

* * *

Appearing in the middle of the empty forest, Sakura took a step in the direction of the forest's exit. Damn the training grounds for being so scattered throughout the tremendously large forest!

Feeling the pounding rise from within her head, Sakura stopped and clutched her head in agony. She knew for sure that it wasn't a migraine. Judging from the pain, she concluded that it was something more threatening.

Feeling a lump stuck in her throat, Sakura tasted a metallic flavor in her mouth. What was going on? Smashing a fist into the nearby tree, she stared at the undamaged tree as she then began to wonder what was happening to her strength. How could she have not been able to land a good hit on the Uchiha?

Coughing unexpectedly, Sakura fell onto her knees with her hands planted onto the grass, clutching them in patches. Clenching her eyes shut in anguish, she collapsed onto her side as she coughed streaks of blood into her pale hands.

Feeling the striking pain continue to increase, Sakura felt her body go numb as she closed her eyes and suddenly felt herself warped into her mind.

Surrounded in darkness, Sakura looked around the place. Not quite remembering anything yet, Sakura's eyes widened in shock as she saw her father standing by the familiar door. He wore a pained expression with his lips thinly pressed together as if he was restraining himself.

Confused, Sakura followed his stare and found herself looking at her mother's back. Walking towards her young mother, Sakura opened her mouth to say something but quickly recognized that she couldn't speak.

Staring at her blood-stained hands from all of her coughing, Sakura walked past her mother and simply stared at the young girl who was lying on the bed in pain. She'd recognize the pink hair and emerald eyes in a single heartbeat any day. It was herself when she was younger.

Silently wondering why she never remembered this happening to her, Sakura took several frantic steps back as she began to shake her head violently. This couldn't be happening. This never happened because if it did, she would've remembered. She would have the memory ingrained into her brain, never able to forget it.

As her mother began to pour chakra into her hands, the younger Sakura stiffened and closed her eyes.

Sakura shut her eyes and covered her ears. She didn't want to know-see- what was happening. Chanting to herself repeatedly, Sakura silently screamed in her head that the memory was a Genjutsu. That's right, it was a Genjutsu.

Anything that was happening this moment was just a fraud. It was all a fraud, fake, a Genjutsu. Anything but the truth.

Suddenly feeling the intense pain that the younger Sakura was experiencing at the same time, Sakura let out a pure, tormented scream.

Flashing open her emerald eyes, Sakura quickly sat up and a rush of nausea washed over her. Eyes blurry, Sakura fell back onto the grass with her bloodied hands splayed out and her dark hair splattered all over her too-pale face.

* * *

Hearing Sakura's obviously agonized scream, Itachi and the others vanished into the forest in search of the kunoichi.

Halfway into the deep forest, Naruto let out a sharp gasp as he cried out, "Sakura-chan!"

In front of them was an unconscious Sakura, stained with blood on her lips, cheeks and hands. She was pale, way too pale. Her black hair was plastered to her face.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the horrific sight in front of him as he asked alerted, "What happened?" Genma shook with anger as he demanded, "Who did this?" Shisui glanced around with his Sharingan.

Rushing past them, Itachi bent down and checked her pulse before informing, "She's still alive. She doesn't seem to be ill." Scanning the blood, Itachi added, "She doesn't have any injuries."

"Then, what could have caused the blood?" Kakashi questioned, gently picking up Sakura's limp bloodied hand. Itachi narrowed his dark eyes, suspecting.

Itachi looked at Naruto and Sasuke before ordering, "Get the Hokage and bring her to the hospital immediately." In a blink, the two disappeared.

Turning to look at Genma and Kakashi, Itachi commanded, "Go scan the area for any intruders who could've done this." Genma and Kakashi nodded before vanishing into thin air.

"Shisui, come with me," Itachi stated and continued, "We'll take her to the hospital." Shisui nodded and glanced at the exhausted teammate with great concern as Itachi picked her up carefully.

* * *

Turning to look at the worried males, Tsunade sighed and informed, "There seems to be nothing wrong with her." Naruto let out a relieved breath and Sasuke relaxed a bit, still tense though.

Confused and extremely worried, Tsunade shifted her stare to the locked door. What happened to Sakura in the forest? Turning around to stare at the still-unconscious apprentice, Tsunade heavily sighed.

It seemed like she wouldn't be up for a while.

Knocking on the door, Shizune stated, "Tsunade-sama, I brought Ibiki and Inoichi just like you ordered." Tsunade nodded for Naruto to open the door and then lock it as the three of them entered the large room.

Setting his stare onto the sleeping Sakura, Ibiki questioned, "This is your apprentice, Hokage-sama?" Tsunade nodded and informed, "Her name is Haruno Sakura, Ibiki."

Inoichi and Ibiki had a surprised look and they both stated, "We will do our best to help."

Walking over to the sleeping kunoichi, Ibiki asked, "What information have you found?" Stepping up, Itachi explained, "I had my team search for any signs of the attacker, but there was no evidence of an attacker."

Ibiki nodded and assured, "I believe your words, Itachi-san." Inoichi nodded and added, "Leave this to us." The rest backed up to the wall as Inoichi began to travel into Sakura's mind. Ibiki stood next to the man's side, watching for any sign of Inoichi's success in invading the mind.

With his blonde ponytail shifting each time he moved, Inoichi formed the dispel seal and removed himself from Sakura's mind as he turned around to exclaim, "I could not get past the first set of barriers."

"Barriers, what do you mean by that?" Tsunade asked, puzzled. Shizune nodded, baffled too.

Inoichi glanced at the sleeping female before turning back around to explain, "It seems like her mind has set a series of strong defense barriers. I couldn't get past the first series."

"She must have a complicated mind then," Ibiki commented, amused.

"That sounds like Sakura-chan!" Naruto boasted, approvingly. He was proud to have Sakura as a teammate. Sasuke nodded, agreeing.

"How will we find out what happened to her if Inoichi-san couldn't enter her mind and investigate?" Genma questioned, concerned. He wanted to know is Sakura was going to be fine.

Before anyone could say anything, Naruto's eyes widened as he pointed in Sakura's direction with a shaky finger. They all turned around to stare at the dark and flickering chakra that clouded around the unconscious Sakura.

Sensing the disturbed presence, Itachi activated his Sharingan as he pulled them into his realm using Tsukuyomi. The hospital environment was still the same except for the fact that he had locked them into his realm in order to prevent danger from harming the hospital just in case something occurred.

In other words, it was like he trapped them into a sound-proof bubble. No one could leave and enter without his permission. Any damage done in the abstract realm would not affect the concrete world.

Tsunade approvingly stated, "Good thinking, Uchiha." Itachi nodded in response as the disturbed presence unveiled itself.

A booming sound was heard before a grumpy voice grimly exclaimed, "Who dares to infiltrate my mind?" The dark chakra stretched into something looming and tall like a skyscraper. Two fists were distinguished. Much, much bigger and fearful than Sakura's petite fists.

Naruto glanced around nervously before asking meekly, "Sakura-chan? Is that you?"

There was another booming sound as the Inner stretched, relaxing and commented, "Ah, it feels good to actually be able to get out of the mind."

Sasuke looked at Itachi, confused before saying, "Did you do the correct thing?"

"I used my Tsukuyomi, Sasuke," Itachi answered. Meaning, yes, he did do the right thing. This _thing_ just decided to appear without a warning.

"Who are you?" Ibiki demanded. Sakura's Inner shrunk back to a human size, looking like a visible and walking shadow. Tsunade narrowed her amber eyes.

"Who am I, you ask? You don't need to know," the Inner replied wittingly and added, "I should be asking you the same thing, but I happen to know who you are, Ibiki." Ibiki stared at the unfamiliar thing. It wasn't human, was it?

"What did you do to Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, staring intently with his blue eyes. The Inner snorted and remarked, "Please, your supposedly 'glare' doesn't scare me a tiny bit, Naruto."

"What do you want with Sakura?"Sasuke asked, taking a step. The Inner held up her hands and responded, "Me? What do you want with her?"

"Stop avoiding our questions and answer," Tsunade ordered firmly, holding a tight fist. The Inner smiled in delight as another booming sound emphasized her eagerness.

"Eh, you're threatening me already, Tsunade-sama?"the Inner asked innocently before warning, "Do remember that this isn't the concrete world."

"Tch," Tsunade muttered, placing her fist by her sides. The Inner neared them and darkly questioned, "Now, who was the one trying to bother me while I was sleeping?"

Naruto gulped and Sasuke stood his ground like an Uchiha. Ibiki glared at the grumpy Inner, unsure of what it was.

Taking a step forward, Inoichi boldly stated, "I was the one." Staring at the blonde man, the Inner repeated, "You tried to invade my sleep?"

The man nodded and instructed, "Do not harm the others." The Inner glanced at the others in a relaxed manner before replying nonchalantly, "And why should I?"

"Go back to your slumber," Sakura ordered unexpectedly as she sat up in her bed. Naruto and Shisui let out a happy and relieved cry.

Turning around and strutting back to the awakened Sakura, the Inner whined, "You want me to go back and sleep? I've been sleeping for a while. I don't want to sleep!"

"Just do as I say," Sakura retorted as she waved for the Inner to disappear. Sometimes, she wondered why her Inner was so childish.

"What if I don't want to?" the Inner teased. She just wanted to have some fun with Sakura. She found Sakura too serious sometimes. The Inner crossed her arms like a child, hoping for Sakura to bite the bait.

"I said. Go. To. Sleep. Did you not comprehend?" Sakura inquired darkly, still sitting up in the bed. She looked exhausted and irritated, still dressed in her same outfit instead of the hospital attire.

Huffing, the Inner muttered dramatically, "Hai, hai, hai, Sakura-sama. I shall go back into my lonely slumber as you wish." With that said, the Inner leaned close to Sakura, winking as she whispered, "Get him while you can, Sa-ku-ra."

Sakura pulled back, punched her Inner's arm and remarked, "You're so stupid sometimes, you know that?" The Inner laughed cheerfully before wishing Sakura good luck and disappearing.

Staring at the others, Sakura defended, "Sorry about that. She's a bit unstable."

Itachi released his Tsukuyomi as Genma questioned incredulously, "What the hell was that?"

Sighing, Sakura flopped back onto her bed as she muttered, "I'm going back to sleep. Tsunade-sama, if you would be so kind, please kick them out for now. I'd like to get some rest after having my sleep interrupted from the unwanted ruckus."

Tsunade nodded sympathetically and stated, "Tell me later, Sakura."

Sakura cringed as Tsunade bellowed for them to leave in an instant.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Of Lies and Secrets"**

**PLEASE REVIEW :) **

* * *

A/N: Hello! I hope you liked the chapter :D

I wanted to let Sakura's Inner have a role, too. So i kind of figured that she could only appear in Itachi's Tsukuyomi or in the mind, like the time Ino and Sakura were fighting for the preliminary Chunin exams.


	8. Chapter 8

**Of Lies and Secrets**

* * *

***Chapter 8: Trust**

* * *

**NORMAL POV: **

**10 years ago…**

Sitting outside on the smooth and wooden porch, an eight year old Sakura sat in between her parents. Gazing at the star-filled sky, the little Sakura smiled to herself as she snuggled her hands into her parent's welcoming and warm hands.

Curious, Sakura asked, "Otou-san, what's your favorite star?" She pointed at the night sky.

"My favorite star, you ask?" Kizashi pondered aloud and continued thoughtfully, "My _favorite_ star isn't up in the sky, Sakura." Emerald eyes stared at him, perplexed.

Smiling mysteriously, Kizashi explained, "My star is always next to me even when the moon isn't hovering in the sky. And when the sun is hidden by the dark clouds, my star is still shining bright as ever." Kizashi stared at Mebuki with love. Sakura glanced back and forth between the two, not understanding.

"Eh? There's really a star like that, Otou-san?" Sakura inquired, intrigued. She turned to her mother and asked, "Ne, Okaa-san, is there really a star like Otou-san just said?"

Smiling affectionately, Mebuki answered, "Of course, there is, Sakura. You'll come to find your favorite star one day."

Pouting for a second, Sakura got up, held her tiny arms out and stated, "But I already have a lot of favorite stars." She pointed at a twinkling, white star to the left and then to the other star floating to her right.

Shaking her head, Mebuki clarified, "When you get older, Sakura, you'll come to find a star that you really, really love. Not just a star that you like and favor, but one that you won't want to let go of."

Tilting her head so that the wind tousled her pink hair, Sakura questioned, "A star that I love?"

Kizashi nodded and commented, "But you're a bit too young to be thinking about that, Sakura-hime."

"Eh? Why? I want to find that star _now _so that I can have it!" Sakura stated passionately. Her jade eyes glittered with determination. She would find that star no matter how long it took her. Sakura quickly whirled around and tilted her chin up as she scanned the dark sky.

Mebuki laughed and remarked, "All in time, Sakura. Perhaps when the time does come you might not want the star?"

Sakura took a step back, horrified and baffled altogether. What was her mother thinking? She would never reject a star. She happened to have a strong interest for stars. Stars were shiny and pretty. They lit up her path at night.

Kizashi shook his head, placing a hand on Mebuki's shoulder as he stated, "Sakura-hime, if you ever find that star, make sure to come tell me, okay?"

Sakura beamed brightly and replied, "Yes, Otou-san. I'll show you the star when I do find it."

Kizashi smiled back, patting her head and muttered, "I'll keep that in mind, Hime."

* * *

**Present…**

Hearing buzzing voices in the background, Sakura fluttered her jade eyes open. Telling the others to hush, Naruto rushed next to Sakura's side as she stared at the ceiling.

Closing her eyes again, Sakura felt someone poke her nervously as the person asked, "Sakura-chan, are you finally awake?"

Nodding slightly, Sakura replied, "Ugh, Naruto, you won't believe what a dream I had." Naruto glanced at the others, questioning them silently. A dream?

Sakura opened her vibrant green eyes as she continued, "I had this dream that we were all in this place and then… a close friend of mine appeared and- anyways, it was just a weird dream."

Sakura sat up as Naruto took a step back and asked, "Sakura-chan, does your 'close friend' happen to look like a shadow?"

Sakura glanced at Naruto as she stretched her arms and replied, "I guess."

Standing up from the chair, Sasuke clarified, "Look, Sakura, it wasn't a dream. That _thing_ that appeared out of nowhere was no dream. You weren't hallucinating."

Sakura set her arms down and stared at Sasuke. His stare was hard and serious.

Suddenly remembering what had happened, Sakura's jade eyes widened as she pressed her palms to her cheeks. She was mentally cursing at her Inner. What was she going to do now? How was she going to explain this to them?

"So, it wasn't a dream after all," Sakura muttered, removing her hands from her face before she dropped backwards onto her fluffy pillows and shut her eyes.

Snickering, Shisui appeared next to Sakura as he sat next to her and replied, "Ne, Sakura-chan, would you mind telling me who your close friend is?"

"Or specifically, _what_ the thing is?" Genma asked, leaning on the wall with the usual senbon pinned between his teeth.

Covering her head with the blanket, Sakura mumbled, "It's not necessary. Just forget that it ever happened."

"Too bad, Sakura-chan. We can't let this one slide by," Shisui countered before adding, "Besides, you owe me."

Sitting up in a flash with the blanket clutched in her hands, Sakura stated, "I'm not indebted to you." Shaking a finger, Shisui reasoned, "I would've been the one changing your clothes, Sa-ku-ra."

Naruto opened his mouth to challenge the Uchiha's statement, but Sasuke held a hand up for Naruto to be quiet. If they were going to get the answer out of Sakura, they'd have to do it slyly even if it meant lying.

Narrowing her eyes before she glanced at her untouched clothes, Sakura asked, "How long have I been sleeping?"

"About a day," Shisui answered, smiling. He had his chin placed on the bed, next to Sakura's lying hand.

Sakura glanced at her clothes again before she informed, "Fine, I'll tell you. I'm not sure if you can classify her as human or not but in a way, she's a part of me. There. That's all I'm going to tell you, are you happy now?"

Shrugging, Genma muttered, "It doesn't really matter anyways." Shisui stood up and beamed at Sakura before saying, "Eh? Of course it matters. Sakura-chan, you're an interesting person."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him and asked, "Anyways, no one came here during the night?"

"Nope, no one came, Sakura-chan. Baa-chan restricted your room at night," Naruto explained. Sakura made a mental note to thank Tsunade later.

Glancing around the room, Sakura noticed that Itachi wasn't there. Maybe he was busy? She was going to ask where Itachi was but Shizune entered the room, requesting for the others to leave.

Waving goodbye, Naruto reminded, "Rest well, Sakura-chan; tomorrow, it's back to training."

* * *

"How are you feeling, Sakura?" Shizune asked, performing a checkup. Sakura smiled and replied, "I feel rejuvenated."

Shizune smiled back and softly added, "It's good to see you again. You had a lot of people worried, you know?" Sakura glanced at Shizune before silently nodding as her stare drifted out the window.

Shizune glanced out the window and commented, "It sure is hot outside today."

"Is it afternoon already?" Sakura questioned. She was asleep for a day, a day where she could have been doing something asides from sleeping.

"It is afternoon, Sakura," Shizune replied and stated, "Well, there was nothing wrong with you from the beginning so you're officially discharged from the hospital."

Shizune turned to leave and stopped to inform, "Oh and be sure to rest when you go home, alright?" Sakura nodded and Shizune left the room.

Lying back onto the bed, Sakura lay back onto the pillows as she then shut her eyes. Flipping onto her side, Sakura heard the door open and smoothly shut closed as the person entered.

"Naruto, I thought you already left?" Sakura questioned, eyes closed. She waited for his answer. Suddenly feeling that the person wasn't Naruto, Sakura peeked through her eyelashes and bolted up as she apologized, "Sorry, Taichou. I thought you were Naruto."

"It's alright, Sakura," Itachi replied, sitting in a chair. Sitting up with her back supported by the thick pillows, Sakura asked, "Did you need something?"

Setting his stare on her, Itachi stated, "I just came to apologize, Sakura."

Confused, Sakura inquired, "Is this Shisui's plan?"

Arching a brow bemused, Itachi stated, "Shisui had scolded me a bit for being harsh with you, but he did not order me to apologize, Sakura."

Sakura rubbed her neck sheepishly as she stated, "Heh, my bad, Taichou."

Walking towards her, Itachi apologized, "I'm sorry, Sakura. It seems that there was a logical reason for your poor performance during the last training session. I should not have suggested your leaving the team."

Sakura stared at Itachi, dumbstruck. An Uchiha had just apologized to her and to be specific, it was Uchiha Itachi.

Smiling, Sakura replied, "It's alright, Taichou. It was a good wake-up call anyways." Itachi stared at her and stated, "There is no need for formalities, Sakura."

Sakura looked up at him and exclaimed, "You're my captain, so I must be formal."

Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Itachi remarked, "Since I am your captain, should I order you to drop the formalities?" Sakura shook her head and replied, "No, that isn't necessary, Itachi."

Sighing, Itachi explained, "As teammates, it would only be natural for us to call each other by our real names, correct?" Sakura nodded before smiling a bit. For some weird reason, she was feeling fluttery and almost giddy.

Taking a step towards the exit, Itachi reminded, "Tomorrow is training at the usual area. Make sure to be there by seven in the morning."

"Got it," Sakura stated, saluting him as he shook his head at her actions and left the room. She decided to leave as well.

* * *

Sitting in her bedroom on her bed, Sakura let out a sigh as she sharpened a kunai. There were many things on her mind. What had really happened the day she fell unconscious in the forest? And that supposedly 'memory' that she saw, did it really happen?

It couldn't have, could it? If it did happen, she would've remembered it throughout her life.

Sharpening another kunai, Sakura pondered, "But the memory could've been blocked?"

Calculating that there was a high chance of the memory being blocked, there were two things that stumped her. Why was the memory blocked? And who could've blocked it? Obviously, it had to be intentional.

Narrowing her choices down, Sakura concluded that it could've been her parents or maybe Tsunade. Shaking her head, Sakura figured that Tsunade wouldn't have much of a reason to block the memory. And there was the fact that she had only stayed with Tsunade for three years. So that practically eliminated Tsunade.

Grabbing another kunai, Sakura asked out loud, "But if it were Okaa-san and Otou-san, then why did they do it?"

There was a knocking sound on the door and Sakura dropped the kunai onto her bed, startled. Who could it be this late at night?

* * *

Walking into the living room and peering out the window, Sakura muttered, "Great, what do I do now?" Shisui, Genma, Kakashi and Itachi were standing in front of her door. Shisui lifted a fist to knock again when Naruto and Sasuke appeared.

Sakura bent down onto her knees and watched through the low corner of the window.

Naruto took large strides toward the group of older males and exclaimed, "You can't visit Sakura-chan this late at night! She needs her rest." Sasuke nodded and added, "We're training tomorrow and Sakura needs all the rest she can get."

Sakura let out a quiet sigh. Her teammates were defending her secret. What should she do now? She didn't want there to be tension just because of her secret. But she couldn't afford to let too many people know.

Shisui crossed his arms and stated, "I was going to ask her to eat with us, Naruto." Naruto shook his head and reasoned, "It's almost eleven at night, Shisui. She's probably sleeping. Let's just go eat."

"Why are you two so keen on letting Sakura sleep?" Kakashi questioned. Sasuke shook his head and claimed, "Like we've been telling you, Sakura needs to rest. She just came from the hospital."

Sakura turned around and sat against the cool wall as the two teammates continued to protect her secret. Perhaps she should just let the others know? After all, they were technically her teammates.

Shifting her head, Sakura gazed up at the ceiling before muttering, "Ne, Okaa-san, what should I do?" Closing her eyes, Sakura remembered what her mother had once told her when they were still in Iwa.

* * *

Sitting at the kitchen table, the young Sakura nibbled on a cookie before saying, "Okaa-san, Otou-san said that I should find some companions when I grow up."

Chopping vegetables, Mebuki stopped and turned around to stare at her young daughter thoughtfully. Nodding, Mebuki agreed, "When you're older you should, Sakura. It's good to have friends."

Sakura tilted her head and defied, "But I don't need friends, Okaa-san. As long as I have you and Otou-san, I'm happy." Mebuki smiled at the child's statement.

"Sakura, there will be times when you will want to speak with others besides us. When you're sad, your true friends will be there to listen to you and help you. True friends will always be there for you," Mebuki stated.

"So I can trust them just like I trust you and Otou-san?" Sakura questioned. Mebuki nodded and replied, "Yes, trust is a very important thing when it comes to friendship." Sakura nodded, taking mental notes.

* * *

Snapping out of the old event, Sakura listened to her teammates warily defend her. Sakura smiled and stated softly, "Okaa-san, Otou-san, I think I have found myself some good friends."

Sakura stood up, patted her dark shorts and smoothed her loose, grey shirt before she opened the door. She was going to trust them and just let things go from there.

Stretching her arms, Sakura leaned against the open door and exclaimed, "Ne, you guys are causing a ruckus. I wouldn't want my neighbors to come yell at me for having loud visitors."

Naruto's and Sasuke's eyes widened as they saw Sakura standing with her pink hair, fully revealed. Before the older shinobis could turn around to look at Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke pounced and managed to lock their arms around the four males.

"Oi, what are you two buffoons doing?" Genma asked, struggling within their grasps. Keeping his arms locked around Genma and Kakashi, Naruto looked at Sakura and prodded, "Go back to sleep, Sakura-chan."

Sakura shook her head and replied, "It's okay, Naruto and Sasuke. Let them go. Sooner or later, it was bound to come out." Naruto and Sasuke reluctantly let go of the other four. Was she sure that she wanted to do this?

Confused, they all turned to look at Sakura only to be perplexed even more. Sakura simply stood in her shorts and shirt rocking her pink hair shamelessly.

"S-Sakura-chan, is that you?" Shisui stuttered. Sakura laughed at his reaction and gestured for them to enter. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

For the hundredth time throughout the night, Genma and Shisui pointed at Sakura's pink hair in disbelief.

"Yes, this is my original hair color," Sakura replied before sighing. How many times was she going to have to tell them? Naruto and Sasuke shook their heads in unison at Genma's and Shisui's utter disbelief.

"So, Sakura, you're under a jutsu that changes your dark hair into pink hair during the night," Kakashi asked. Sakura nodded and stated, "I haven't found the solution to the jutsu yet."

Itachi commented, "Actually, the pink hair fits you better than black hair." Sakura smiled at his comment and agreed, "That's what I think too, Itachi."

Her Inner was doing a victory dance while screaming excitedly about getting a step closer to Itachi. Sakura shooed away the Inner's thoughts.

Standing up, Shisui stated with determination, "Well, then Sakura-chan, we're going to help get your hair back to normal!" Naruto nodded and stood up.

Sakura opened her mouth to tell them that it wasn't necessary but Kakashi informed, "It's the least we can do for you, Sakura."

Sakura glanced at her teammates who all agreed with Kakashi. She then asked, "Why would you be willing to help me?"

"Sakura-chan, you're a friend. And we're always ready to help our friends," Naruto reasoned. Sakura slumped back into the sofa and admitted, "I could almost hug you, Naruto."

Naruto beamed widely and crushed her with a hug before she could reject the hug.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Of Lies and Secrets"**

**PLEASE REVIEW :) **

* * *

A/N: The chapter was kind of short. Nothing really happened, huh?


	9. Chapter 9

**Of Lies and Secrets**

* * *

***Chapter 9: War**

* * *

**NORMAL POV: **

**8 years ago…**

Sensing a familiar and dangerous chakra signature, Mebuki ordered, "Sakura, come over here." Standing upside down with her hands forming a seal, the ten year old Sakura leapt off a tree, flipped in the air as she landed smoothly. Rushing to her tense mother's side, Sakura asked, "What is it, Okaa-san?"

Glancing down at Sakura, Mebuki shook her head and commanded, "Sakura, leave this place. Go into the village."

Sakura furrowed her brows in utter confusion as she questioned, "Why can't I just go home?"

Mebuki hissed under her breath as the unwanted presence neared at an incredible speed. Staring at Sakura with a solid stare, Mebuki informed, "Someone bad is coming. So I need you to go take cover in the village."

Sakura glanced around nervously. Someone bad was coming? Who was it? Shaking her head, Sakura thought about the village of Iwa. She never traveled there by herself but she knew the way there. It was only about five minutes away if you were running.

"What about Otou-san?" Sakura inquired with worried eyes. Mebuki smiled reassuringly and stated, "Sakura, Otou-san is on his way this minute. Now go into the village. Don't come back."

Sakura's emerald eyes widened and Mebuki added, "When we're done taking care of business, we'll come find you." Sakura nodded and fled towards the village with her chakra skillfully cloaked.

A few seconds later, a man appeared. Stepping into the sunlight, he greeted, "Mebuki, it's been a while since we've seen each other."

Mebuki narrowed her eyes and remarked, "It has been a while, Madara. It's a shame though since today will be your last day."

Madara smiled in amusement as he challenged, "Still full of it as usual, eh, Mebuki?" He looked around and asked, "Where is your lover? I would like him to see you suffer painfully as I take the Haruno's remaining power."

Mebuki hardened her stare as she replied evenly, "You will never get it, Madara." She pulled out a kunai and Madara let out an emotionless laugh before stating, "Watch me."

He lunged at Mebuki as they locked into a death-battle.

* * *

"Tch, get out of the way," Kizashi muttered, kicking the unknown shinobi before him. The ninja morphed into a cloud of smoke. Punching his way through the horde of clones, Kizashi could hear the battle between Mebuki and Madara.

* * *

Breathing hard, Mebuki ran a chakra-infused hand over her major wounds as she kept her eyes locked onto Madara. Smirking in delight, Madara questioned, "Already injured, Mebuki? You've become weaker these past years."

Quickly healing her wounds, Mebuki glared at him and retorted, "Don't underestimate me, Madara."

Madara stalked towards her, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt as he jerked her towards him. He threatened, "Give me it, Mebuki."

Smirking, Mebuki jumped up a bit and kicked him in the guts. Madara retreated as her foot scraped his stomach, impacting him a tiny bit. Staring at Mebuki, Madara informed, "If you don't want to give it to me willingly, then I could always resort to brute force."

"I'd rather die than surrender to you, Madara," Mebuki retorted, standing up tall. She knew why Madara was after the power of the Haruno Clan. It was a rare gift.

Madara smirked, forming bunshins who charged at Mebuki and grasped her arms tightly. Madara nodded in the direction of the isolated Haruno house before ordering, "Take her to the house. It is ready."

Mebuki struggled weakly to get out of their hold and Madara explained, "You can't move. The kunai that you were injured from was dipped in poison created to paralyze the body once it entered the bloodstream."

Mebuki glared at him and he defended, "I will not waste time, Mebuki. After all these years of hunting you down, I finally have the opportunity to achieve immortality. I will not lose this chance unlike the other times."

As they dragged her to the house, Mebuki reminded, "You are already immortal, Madara."

Turning to stare at her, Madara replied, "Indeed, I am but I have to perform daily routines in order to maintain my immortality."

"And how do you do that?" Mebuki asked. Madara narrowed his eyes and commented, "And you think that I would tell you? You would be a fool to think that, Mebuki."

Mebuki smiled bitterly as she said, "That's what you said the last time we encountered each other. But you're more ignorant than a fool, Madara. You're trying to rebel against the nature of life. You cannot do that and you will never achieve your so-called immortality. After all, you are human and Death will come for you. It's all in the timing, Madara."

Madara smirked and rebutted, "You are wrong. I have overcome Death already. Why do you think that I have managed to survive for so long?"

"Heh, probably because you use whatever methods to maintain that bad habit of yours," Mebuki muttered. Madara narrowed his eyes as she continued to rant.

"You possess your brother's eye. You've now sided with Orochimaru in hopes of finding another way to maintain your immortality when you already are-well, that's only for now though. And you won't even tell Orochimaru your secret of how you managed to attain immortality. We all know that the snake sannin's a freak wanting to stay young," Mebuki stated, critical.

Stopping in front of the house, Madara questioned, "How do you know all of this?" Staring at him with amusement, Mebuki replied, "I actually do my research before I battle, Madara."

Turning his back to her and leading the way into the empty house as his clones dragged her, Madara informed, "It doesn't matter now. I am going to attain pure immortality - thanks to you, Mebuki."

Mebuki let out a scoffing sound as she then countered, "I don't need your thanks. You could go to Hell for all I care."

Standing in the living room, Mebuki feigned surprise at the sight. Madara had prepared a sealing circle. He was planning to unseal the power and use it for his own benefit. She already knew that Madara would have done something like this. It was obvious that he was eager to obtain the power. She could see past his cold facade. He needed the power.

"Tch, you really think that will work on me," Mebuki prodded. She wanted to get the thing over with so that she could initiate her plan.

The two bunshins pushed her into the center of the sealing ground before they disappeared, leaving her with Madara. Staring at him, Mebuki stated, "You are foolish, Madara."

"Do not tell me what I am," Madara ordered and began to form the seals as the intricate designs on the floor began to glow, activating.

Raising her arms, Mebuki bit her lips. Her arms felt so heavy due to the poison, but she could feel it starting to wear off. Composed, Mebuki finished forming her seals the same time Madara did.

"What are you doing?" Madara demanded, walking towards her but stopped right outside of the circle. Smirking, Mebuki answered, "I'm connecting us, Madara."

"That's impossible. You cannot do that because you do not have direct access to my chakra," Madara stated. Mebuki raised her brows, uncrossed her arms as she pointed to the chakra-fused designs.

"Since when did you become so forgetful, Madara?" Mebuki asked and continued, "This isn't like you. I told you to not underestimate me."

Chuckling with nothing but a hint of darkness, Madara concluded, "You knew that I was going to do this. That's why you were so easily defeated. You really do want to die, don't you?"

Mebuki smirked and responded, "I do what I have to do, Madara." He narrowed his eyes as Mebuki reached into her weapon pouch and swiftly tossed smoke bombs around them. The house was quickly filled with heavy, dark smoke.

Diligently grasping onto Madara's cloak, Mebuki pulled him into the sealing circle with her as she stated, "If I'm going down, then so will you."

She held onto his wrists instead of his cloak, gripping him tightly as a bunshin of her formed seals. She was going to use the forbidden jutsu. Yes, the same one that the Fourth Hokage used. She was going to take Madara down once and for all.

Before Mebuki's bunshin could finish, one of Madara's clones appeared and stabbed Mebuki's bunshin. Walking towards Mebuki with a sharpened katana, the clone of Madara raised his sword as he prepared to jag it into her. A kunai pierced his chest causing him to disappear into a fog of smoke.

Madara and Mebuki both turned to look at the standing Kizashi. He was the one who threw the kunai, saving Mebuki.

Suddenly, Madara stepped back as Mebuki crashed towards him and then he aimed a kick at her stomach. Crashing into the wall behind her, Mebuki locked her eyes onto the outraged Kizashi. Kizashi charged at Madara, angered. Not only had Madara destroyed their home, he had injured Mebuki. The man was going to die like he should have centuries ago.

Madara turned to look at Kizashi with his Sharingan fully activated. Locking Kizashi into a mental trap, Madara smirked in triumph at the easy success.

"Shinobis should always reign in their emotion," Madara stated, narrowing his eyes as he increased the level of pain upon Kizashi who let out a stifled cry of agony. Standing up, Mebuki formed some seals and Madara ceased moving.

He stopped doing anything because he couldn't do anything. He just stood there, staring at Kizashi who was released from the Sharingan effect.

"So this is what you planned?" Madara inquired. Mebuki walked towards Kizashi, keeping her hands in the formation of the seal so that Madara couldn't use chakra and do something.

"Kizashi," Mebuki stated, concerned. She knew that the Sharingan possessed mental threats. It could lead to the beginning of one's insanity.

Kizashi nodded slightly, still dazed from the mental attack. He leaned against the wall, wounded severely from his previous fights. Mebuki sighed inwardly, relieved.

Forcefully pushing Madara into the circle again, Mebuki sensed several chakra presences outside of the house. Kizashi pushed himself off the wall and stated, "I got them. You deal with him."

Mebuki nodded and focused her attention back onto the still Madara. She stared at him and stated, "This is it, Madara. You're going to die."

"No, I won't," Madara denied, staring behind her before smirking and disappearing. Before she could turn around to defend herself, Mebuki felt a sharp pain tear through her as a katana pierced through her.

Coughing out blood as the real Madara shamelessly dug the katana deeper into her, Mebuki hissed under her breath. How could she have not noticed this? It was a clone all along but it seemed so real. It was like an exact copy of him, perfect in flesh.

Ripping the katana from her, Madara pushed Mebuki towards the center of the sealing circle before quickly forming the seals again. Weakened from the fatal blow, Mebuki's wound seeped blood tremendously as she felt the seal activating.

Dropping onto her knees, Mebuki stared at the ground with her head hung in shame. She had failed to kill Madara. She had failed to protect Sakura from him.

Growling in frustration and confusion, Madara demanded venomously, "Why isn't it unsealing?"

Mebuki glanced at him, smug. Although she failed to kill him, she managed to transfer the Haruno power to Sakura several years ago. "I told you, Madara, that you are foolish," Mebuki reminded, collapsing onto the ground. She was losing blood quickly.

Madara glared at her as he activated the Sharingan, willing to torture her until he could get it out of her. He needed the damn power! Staring at the dying woman, Madara stated, "Tell me where you hid it. What did you do with it?"

"I sealed it into a faraway scroll," Mebuki answered, smiling to herself. Her eyes were beginning to droop, heavy with slumber dawning upon.

"A scroll? Don't you understand what could happen if the scroll was burnt?" Madara questioned, glaring at her stupidity for sealing the power into a piece of paper. Mebuki nodded weakly as she then stated, "You will never find it, Madara. Eventually, you will die just like everyone else."

Madara narrowed his eyes at her comment. He wouldn't die yet. He was going to find the scroll and attain true immortality. And then, he was going to complete what he had set out to do many, many years ago.

"I would kill you, Mebuki, but since you are already dying and so close to death, I will let you have fun. You shall die a slow and painful death until every drop of your blood has left your veins," Madara exclaimed before adding, "You were a waste of my time."

With that said, he vanished into thin air.

Mebuki shifted painfully onto her back so that she stared at the ceiling. Hearing Kizashi's rushed footsteps stagger into the room, Mebuki let out a sigh of relief. He was still alive.

"M-Mebuki," Kizashi stammered in concern and asked, "What happened? Is he dead?"

Shaking her head, Mebuki replied, "It was a clone all along, Kizashi. That bastard- he's probably searching for the scroll now." Comprehending that she had lied to Madara, Kizashi dropped onto his knees and stated, "It doesn't matter about that right now. You need to get examined."

Shaking her head, Mebuki responded, "No, Kizashi. I'm so close to dying already. It's not worth it." Kizashi lay next to her, grabbing her hand as he proclaimed, "We were so close yet so far."

Mebuki nodded in agreement before saying, "My dear child, Sakura. Be strong." Kizashi shifted to stare at her.

Tears streamed from her eyes and rolled off her cheeks. Kizashi felt a sharp pain in his heart. His wife was crying and all he could do was watch and try to comfort her.

Clutching her hand tighter, Kizashi soothed, "We've done well with Sakura, Mebuki. She's a fighter, I can tell. Everything will be fine. Believe in her."

Nodding, Mebuki muttered, "I don't want to leave her alone, Kizashi. She has no one." Kizashi shook his head slowly and corrected, "No, Mebuki, she does have someone. She has Konoha."

Smiling, Mebuki agreed, "Yeah, you're right, Kizashi. You're right." Kizashi stretched his hand towards her, caressing her face as he assured, "Go, Mebuki. I'll catch up with you."

Mebuki stared at him affectionately, gradually closing her eyes. She thought of Kizashi and Sakura. She remembered their smiling faces, the night they watched the stars, the days where she trained with Sakura. Before her eyes closed forever, Mebuki stated softly, "I leave her in your hands, Konoha."

Kizashi lay next to Mebuki, hoping that Sakura would come and look for them. He wanted to see her before it was time for him to leave too. He wanted to touch her soft hair and hold her small hands. He wanted to joke with her just like the good times.

He wanted say her name and bask her presence. Most of all, he wanted to tell her how proud he was of her and how much he loved her. She was his Sakura.

* * *

**Present…**

Sitting up in her silent bedroom, Sakura wiped away a tear. For the fifth time this week, she had dreamt of her parent's death. Although she wasn't there to see _how_ they died, she knew that they had died from battle, but who had killed them? And why would that person kill them?

Disentangling herself from the warm blanket, Sakura entered the bathroom, flipped on the light and stared at the mirror. There were dark shadows under her eyes, proving that she hadn't rest well. Her skin was an unhealthy shade of paleness. Her pink hair was messy and tangled from all of her restlessness.

Sighing, Sakura patted her cheeks as she remembered the night a week ago when the rest of her teammates had discovered her secret. Things were easier now. She didn't have to be so conscious around them when night came. Maybe one day, she'd be able to go out with them and casually eat ramen at night?

Splashing cold water onto her face, Sakura glanced at the mirror before she saw her parents standing next to her. Widening her jade eyes, Sakura reached out to touch the mirror. She wanted to _touch_ them once, just once. That was all she wished for.

The feeling was so enchanted, so surreal- like it could shatter any second.

And when her finger tapped against the mirror with a click, Sakura snapped out of it and shook her head. Of course her parents wouldn't be here. They were dead. They had been dead for the last eight years.

Exiting the bathroom and heading into the living room, Sakura dropped onto the couch. Staring at the wall, Sakura pondered about Danzo's statement from a while ago.

Why did he say that the Haruno were a disgrace to Konoha? From what she knew, she came from a non-clan family. That's what her parents had told her.

Narrowing her eyes, Sakura suspected Danzo of knowing something that she didn't even know. She'd have to find the time to talk to him later. But what she needed to focus on was finding the murderer who killed her parents.

Locked in her own thoughts, Sakura stayed up the rest of the night until the dawn came upon Konoha.

* * *

Hearing her alarm clock loudly ring, Sakura rushed into her room, grabbed her clothes and hurried into the bathroom to clean up. It was five in the morning and she had to be at the usual section for training today.

Walking towards the training section after locking her apartment, Sakura met Naruto and Sasuke in the center of Konoha. The two were talking with another group of Konoha shinobis, well, it was more like Naruto was talking and Sasuke was just listening.

Approaching them, Sakura heard Naruto ask with worry, "Was there anyone left behind?"

A Chunin male replied, "There was one squad left behind, Naruto-san." Sasuke stared at the male before asking, "Whose squad?"

"The squad consisted of Kiba-sempai, Hinata-san and a Chunin who had temporarily replaced Shino-san since he was out on a different mission," the Chunin stated. Sakura was standing next to Naruto, silent.

"What happened?" Sakura asked, scaring Naruto who let out a cry of surprise before muttering, "Sneaky shinobis these days."

Before anyone could inform her of the news, another group of medics appeared as they rushed several gurneys with unconscious ninjas lying on top to the hospital. Ino was one of the medics, leading them as she exclaimed, "Tamaki, take Hiro to room three on level two; Shizune-san will be waiting there. Konohamaru, follow me. We'll get your wounds examined; they don't seem to be life-threatening."

The young teenager, Konohamaru, nodded before giving Naruto a wide smile. Sakura turned to look at Naruto, figuring that the kid was on good terms with him.

The hurried group disappeared and Sakura glanced at Sasuke questioningly. What happened? The Chunin male left with his teammate, leaving Sakura and the other two alone.

"There was an ambush," Sasuke stated. Sakura nodded and commented, "There was one when I first got here. Who ambushed them this time?"

"From what we've heard so far, it was shinobis from Kumo," Naruto stated. Sakura opened her mouth to say, "I thought that Konoha and Kumo were negotiating a treaty."

"Yes, you are correct, Sakura. But that doesn't mean that Konoha and Kumo are on exceptional good terms," Kakashi commented, walking towards them. Sakura turned to look at Kakashi who was followed by Genma and Shisui. "Good morning, Sakura-chan!" Shisui chimed happily before appearing next to her.

Sakura smiled at him and looked around for Itachi. "Where's Taichou?" Sakura asked, looking at the others. Shisui wiggled his eyebrows and questioned, "Interested, Sakura?"

Sakura glared at him, crossing her arms before an explosion blasted through the air, cutting her off. She glanced at the sky, searching for the source of the explosion. Was Konoha being attacked?

They hopped onto the roof of a building and scanned the area outside the Main Gate. There was a cloud of smoke rising into the air. A streak of lightning flashed as dark clouds quickly engulfed the blue sky.

Smirking, Naruto stated, "Let's go kick some Kumo butt, guys!" Genma held his senbon between his fingers as he added, "They're in the Fire territory now."

* * *

Appearing at the battle scene, Sasuke and Naruto dived into the battle. Perched on a branch, Sakura analyzed the battle. There were many of the Kumo shinobis, charging towards the direction of Konoha.

Shisui was quickly making his way through the crowd of enemies. His Sharingan was in full use as he knocked them out instead of killing them. He was saving them for interrogation. Genma was flicking his senbons at them, laced with sleeping poison.

Seeing another wave of Kumo shinobis rush over the hill towards them, Sakura jumped off the tree and slammed her fists into the ground causing the ground to break into gigantic pieces. Sasuke smirked as he landed skillfully onto one of the large pieces and knocked a Kumo shinobi unconscious.

After Sakura's tremor, it turned out that some of the shinobis were just bunshins. Taking a step forward, Sakura sensed a chakra presence behind her. Turning to look at the person, Sakura stated, "Taichou."

"Sakura," Itachi replied evenly, walking as he assessed the battleground. There were many unconscious Kumo shinobis, far too many to be imprisoned in the cells of Konoha.

The others retreated to Itachi and Sakura as Shisui asked, "So, what did Hokage-sama say?"

"We're officially at war with Kumogakure," Itachi stated. Kakashi's eyes widened for a second before he composed himself. Sure there were little problems here and there but he didn't expect things to be _this_ bad.

Sakura turned to look at the unconscious bodies as she then questioned, "So what do we do with them?"

Following her stare, the others sighed. Did this mean that they would have to dispose of the Kumo shinobis? After all, the Kumo were now their enemies and they couldn't allow the ninjas to stay in the Fire territory.

Before Itachi could give any orders, a masked ANBU Root member appeared and stated, "Danzo-sama has requested for you all to take cover."

Itachi turned to look at the Root member before saying, "What does he plan to do with the enemy of Konoha?" The masked ANBU Root member shook his head and stated, "You will understand once your platoon takes cover."

Standing several meters behind a clump of trees with the others, Sakura glanced from behind a tree as the Root member pulled out two bottles of kerosene and dumped it all over the unconscious bodies. Forming seals, the member created a barrier that trapped the unconscious bodies as he ignited flames.

Sakura clutched the tree. This was what Danzo wanted? He wanted to set them on fire? How were they going to be able to interrogate now?

Tearing her stare from the flames, Sakura glanced at the others. Naruto narrowed his eyes before muttering, "How will we know what they were up to now?"

"We had to submit to his will, Naruto. Danzo is an elder and we didn't have permission from the Hokage to defy against his orders," Kakashi reasoned. He thought that Danzo should have let at least one of the Kumo shinobis survive, just for interrogation.

Itachi stated, "Danzo is taking precautions. This is typical of him; do not be so surprised."

They all turned to look at the now black-burnt ground. The Root member had quickly disappeared after doing his task.

"We should go to Hokage-sama," Itachi stated, turning to leave. The rest followed and Sakura sighed inwardly. Konoha was in a war now.

* * *

Nearing Tsunade's office, Itachi and the others could hear Tsunade's voice boom, "Danzo, you should've had your ANBU member spare just one of the Kumo!"

"Tsunade, you do not seem to understand the idea that the Kumo were a threat to Konoha. They were so close to attacking Konoha. They needed to be disposed of," Danzo stated, calm.

Hearing a knock on her door, Tsunade sat down and muttered, "And first of all, you should've told me that you were going to do that, Danzo. Come in."

Itachi entered with the rest following him. Danzo stared at Itachi for a minute before gazing past Sakura and Sasuke and staring at Naruto. What a powerful platoon they were combined. Not only did it consist of three Uchihas, a skilled shinobi, a Kyuubi vessel but also Tsunade's apprentice? Danzo made a mental note to keep an eye on them.

Tsunade lifted a hand, signaling for Danzo to leave. Danzo disappeared in a flash.

"Is it really true that Konoha is in a war with Kumo, Baa-chan?" Naruto asked, stepping towards Tsunade. Tsunade stared at him with her penetrating amber eyes and confirmed, "Naruto, we are in a war with Kumogakure."

Naruto stared at her and asked, "What about Hinata and Kiba? They're still in Kumo territory!"

Tsunade tensed and informed, "That is why I am assigning you all to a high-rank mission, Naruto. So be quiet and listen." Naruto stepped back and Tsunade rubbed her temple.

"As you know, Kumo has tried to steal the secrets of the Byakugan many years ago. And now that Kiba and Hinata are in the Lightning territory, it means that they could be killed any moment. Therefore, I am assigning your squad, Itachi, to go rescue Hinata and Kiba before anything happens," Tsunade ordered.

Walking towards Tsunade, Itachi grabbed the scroll that she extended to him and replied, "It will be a success, Hokage-sama." Shisui smirked in smugness as he assured, "When Itachi says that something will be a success, it will be, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade nodded and reminded, "Sakura, you will act as the medic. So conserve your chakra throughout the mission and act only under Itachi's commands, got it?"

Staring at Tsunade, Sakura answered, "Yes, Shishou."

"Now, go home and prepare what ever is necessary," Tsunade ordered and continued, "Meet at the Main Gate in five minutes. I want this mission completed two days from now. No more than that."

They nodded and disappeared. Itachi stood in the office, knowing that Tsunade wanted to talk privately with him.

"Itachi, keep an eye on Sakura," Tsunade ordered and reasoned, "Orochimaru may be working with Kumo. I wouldn't want to send Sakura to them as a gift."

"Do not worry, Hokage-sama," Itachi stated before he disappeared.

* * *

**Stay Tuned For Another Chapter of...**

**"Of Lies and Secrets"**

**PLEASE REVIEW :)**

* * *

A/N: Hello, readers! What did you think of the chapter? ^-^

The '8 years ago' part was practically the version of Sakura's parents when Sakura fled to the village and met Tsunade. About 'power' of the Haruno clan, that will be explained in the future chapters. Review your thoughts :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Of Lies and Secrets**

* * *

***Chapter 10: Being a Shinobi**

* * *

**NORMAL POV: **

**11 years ago…**

Patting the seven year old Sakura's hair, Mebuki chided, "Sakura, the life of a shinobi is complicated."

Tilting her head, Sakura questioned, "And why is that, Okaa-san? I want to be like you and Otou-san." Mebuki smiled at her daughter's innocence. She didn't want to think about the day when Sakura would have blood stained on her hands after killing someone.

"Shinobis must never expose their emotion," Mebuki stated and added, "But, you don't need to worry about that right now, Sakura. You're still young so don't worry."

Sakura pouted and whined, "But, Okaa-san, I _need_ to know so that I can prepare myself. I want to be a great shinobi!" Sakura held her petite fist in the air, showing her devotion. She beamed widely.

Mebuki sighed, rubbing her temple as she replied, "If you _really_ want to know, then go read it in the book, Sakura." She didn't want Sakura to carry the burden of being a shinobi, especially when she was only a little girl.

* * *

**Present…**

Itachi's ANBU squad managed to travel all the way to the Frost Country before nightfall, saving time under the efficient guidance of Itachi. The Frost Country was located at the southwestern border of the Lightning Country.

Sitting at the campsite, Sakura snuck a glance at Sasuke. He had been quiet since the mission started. Okay, so he was usually quiet but today he didn't mutter a single word or sound. Usually, he'd grunt his famous word: 'Hn.'

He was _too_ silent compared to his usual silence.

Sakura looked at the others, who didn't seem to recognize Sasuke's suspicious silence. Shisui and Naruto were munching their dinner quickly, competing against each other.

Genma and Kakashi were talking about Icha Icha paradise. It seemed like they had something in common…Perverts with no love life. Ha, just kidding, they probably had secret girlfriends or something like that.

And Itachi, well, he was just sitting by himself. Staring at the flickering fire, he shifted his stare onto Sakura who quickly averted her stare and looked back at Sasuke who was sitting next to her. Gently touching Sasuke's shoulder, Sakura asked, "Ne, Sasuke, are you okay?"

Looking at Sakura, Sasuke replied monotonously, "I'm fine, Sakura." His stare soon lingered over her shoulder and at Itachi who turned his face to stare back at Sasuke. Sakura tilted her head in confusion before quickly turning around to figure out what Sasuke was staring at.

Itachi had resumed his original position, not leaving a single trace that Sasuke and he just had a silent talk. They were brothers, blood brothers to be exact. They could read each other's thoughts, most of the time.

Sakura turned back around to look at Sasuke before saying, "Sasuke, you should finish your dinner before it gets cold." Removing his eyes from her, Sasuke continued to eat his dinner silently and Sakura narrowed her jade eyes slightly. She touched the tips of her pink hair, pondering.

Something was going on and she was going to find out.

Leaning against a log behind her, Sakura stretched her legs and pulled them close to her chest before setting her chin on her knees. Gazing at the red-orange fire, Sakura shut her eyes. She could still see the imprints of the red-orange color from the flames but it soon faded away as complete darkness took over.

Sakura could hear Naruto and Shisui chatting along with Genma and Kakashi chuckling mischievously as they flipped a page from the orange book. She could feel Sasuke's presence even though he was extremely silent.

Drifting asleep, Sakura opened her jade eyes one more time only to find Sasuke looking at something in Itachi's direction. She was too sleepy to lift her head and check what it was so she just shut her eyes again. It probably wasn't something bad since Sasuke wasn't standing up with his katana unsheathed, ready to slaughter.

Sleeping, Sakura drifted into a dream.

She was lying in a field of lush green grass with white flowers blooming as she stared at the sky. Sitting up, Sakura glanced around curiously. Where was she?

Pushing herself off the ground and now standing, Sakura saw a hill that had a single Sakura tree deeply rooted into the top of the hill. Intrigued, Sakura took a step in the Sakura tree's direction. She felt compelled to wander towards the enchanting hill.

Deciding to head to the hill, Sakura broke out into a sprint. There was a warm feeling that radiated from the tree. It reminded her of her parents and the moments when she was tucked in between the two, safe and sound.

With her jade eyes locked onto the pink cherry blossom tree, Sakura stopped and muttered lamentably, "Why does it feel so far away from me?" Each step she took, it seemed like the tree moved farther and farther from her.

Sakura was going to take a step but ceased moving when she saw her parents. They had appeared out of thin air. Frozen, Sakura opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Frustrated, Sakura threw her hands into the air. Wasn't this _her_ dream? Didn't _she_ have the power to control whether she could speak or not?

Surrendering, Sakura simply watched as her parents continued to walk. They didn't notice her. Smacking her forehead, Sakura thought to herself that of course they wouldn't _see_ her since the whole thing was just a _dream._ It wasn't even real despite how real it actually felt.

And what sucked was that she couldn't even hear her parent's voices.

Mebuki was holding Kizashi's arm, laughing happily at something he said. Kizashi lifted a hand and ruffled her hair before smiling brightly. They looked so happy together, even without her.

Sakura felt a sharp pain tear her heart to pieces as she stared at her peaceful parents. Suddenly, a river of questions popped into her mind. Maybe her parent's would have been alive if she hadn't left them that day? What if it was her fault that her parents died? Sakura's Inner scolded the negative questions, slapping at Sakura.

Glancing at the sky, Sakura watched helplessly as a crowd of dark clouds rushed towards them. Engulfing the once-blue sky, soft rain drizzled from the dark grey cloud. Holding her hands open, Sakura stared at her hands as the drops of cold rain splattered against her pale palms.

In one blink, everything changed.

With jade eyes widening at the sight of blood staining her palms, Sakura glanced back at the dark grey clouds as drops of pure blood splashed onto her. What had just happened?

Glancing back at her parents, Sakura found them lying dead on the ground. There was a man standing next to their bodies. His blood-stained hands shook with rage and anger. Sakura stared intently as he opened his mouth to demand something.

He shut his mouth and gradually shifted his stare onto Sakura. Shivers shot throughout her body because for some reason, she knew that he could see her. The hairs on the back of her neck rose as her heart pounded loudly in her ears.

Smirking, the man began to walk towards her as he stated, "And the last Haruno remains, standing in a field of blood-stained flowers." _Great!_ Not only could he see her, but she could _hear_ him too.

Sakura noticed the white flowers that were now soaked with red blood. Fear overcame her as she managed to ask, "Who are you?"

"I finally found you, Sakura," Madara exclaimed, nearing her. Sakura took several steps back as she scrambled to mentally identify the unknown man. His dark eyes were like the Uchiha's dark eyes. His posture and the confident yet dangerous way he crept towards her reminded her of the Uchiha Clan.

There was a quick flash of red in his coal-like eyes, the Sharingan. And then, everything began to fit together. Sakura remembered her parents talking in hushed voices about a man named Madara. Was he the 'bad man' that her parents had always labeled him as?

Sakura stopped retreating and proclaimed, "Uchiha Madara, you're the man who killed my parents."

Approaching her cautiously, Madara smirked and stated, "Indeed, I am and soon you won't be the last Haruno because you'll be dead." Lunging at Sakura, Madara wrapped his murderous hands around her neck.

Sakura jolted up, standing with terrified eyes as she screamed, "Uchiha Madara!"

Taking in the different environment, Sakura glanced at her now-quiet teammates who narrowed their eyes in united suspicion. Sakura laughed sheepishly before rubbing the back of her neck as she smoothly lied, "I said, what's the mat-ter-a with all y'all Uchihas."

Feeling their persistent stares, Sakura knew that they weren't convinced with her little alibi. Shrugging it off, Sakura stated, "I'm going to wash up. Don't bother me unless you want to die." With that said, Sakura stalked off cursing herself inaudibly under her breath.

Watching the female teammate hurry to the river, Itachi locked his eyes onto the rest before assuring, "She did say Uchiha Madara."

Sasuke nodded, sighed and then commented, "Not even Dobe would fall for that." Naruto nodded automatically before defending, "Oi, I'm not dense as you think, Teme!" Sasuke smirked at Naruto, leaning casually against the thick log.

Shisui stared at the fire before questioning, "But why would Sakura say-more like, scream- his name?" Genma nodded his head and glanced with concern in Sakura's direction. She didn't happen to be in trouble, did she? If she was in trouble, why didn't she tell them or at least Tsunade?

Kakashi shut his book and stated, "Obviously, she had a dream about the dead Uchiha."

Itachi felt a twisting sensation at the bottom of his stomach. He had a theory about Uchiha Madara still being alive and Sakura was only adding more evidence to his theory.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

* * *

Sitting next to the river fully clothed, Sakura sighed before chiding, "Ugh, stupid Sakura, you should've been more careful. Baka, Baka, Baka!"

She had lied to Naruto and the others that she was going to take a bath so that they wouldn't bother her. But who in their righteously sane mind would go into a freezing cold river _nude_ in such a chilly weather at_ night _in the middle of the _Frost_ Country_?_

Rolling onto her side, Sakura didn't want to close her eyes. She didn't want to fall asleep and return to the dream because it was so realistic. She was afraid and she had every right to be fearful, right?

Standing up, Sakura headed back to the campsite after splashing some ice-cold water onto her warm face. She didn't want them to worry over her much less be suspicious. Hopefully, just maybe, they had forgotten about it all by now; although, she highly doubted that.

* * *

Arriving at the campsite, Sakura quirked a brow at the desolate area and walked to Naruto's and Sasuke's tent. Before she could open the tent, Shisui subtly popped his head out of the tent and informed, "Yo, Sakura-chan, you're not sleeping with Naruto and Sasuke. After all, they're still _teenage_ boys with raging hormones."

After skittering backwards surprised at Shisui's bobbling head, Sakura demanded, "Then where am I going to sleep? And you are a man with raging hormones too, Shisui."

"Still we have to keep precautions, don't you think so, Sakura?" Shisui explained and winked at her before smiling mysteriously and zipping the tent shut. Sakura rubbed her arms and headed to the next tent as she cursed, "Darn Shisui and his stupid, irritating remarks."

Arriving at the tent a few feet from Naruto's, Sakura questioned, "Unno, whose tent is this?" Sticking his hand out, Kakashi pointed a finger to the isolated tent on the other side of the camp before exclaiming, "I'm guessing Shisui didn't tell you, Sakura? Hit him tomorrow, not me. Anyways, you're staying in Itachi's tent until the mission's over."

Before Sakura could challenge him, Kakashi zipped his tent shut and Genma snickered as he loudly bid Sakura goodnight. Sakura lifted a fist, ready to break the tent. But then, she thought of just beating him tomorrow instead of standing outside in the freezing night air.

Huffing, Sakura whirled around and strutted across the camp before she nervously stood in front of Itachi's tent. Her cheeks stung from the cold air and also from the very idea that she was going to be sleeping in the same tent as Itachi, her captain.

Lifting a hand to knock, Sakura stopped and thought to herself that it wasn't a door. Before she could stress herself even more, Itachi's deep and distinct voice stated, "Enter the tent already, Sakura."

Sakura gulped and silently exhaled as she entered the tent. Itachi was standing in front of the sleeping bag with his arms crossed. He was wearing a dark shirt and his dark sweat-like pants that most of the other male shinobis wore.

Sakura glanced at the sleeping bag behind him before it suddenly struck her that there was one, _only one, _sleeping bag. Opening her mouth to ask, Sakura was cut off when Itachi explained, "It appears that Shisui didn't bring enough sleeping bags, Sakura."

Sakura let out a frustrated sigh before she mentally cursed Shisui. Now, she was going to _really_ beat him tomorrow. That freaking damn perverted Uchiha! Who let Shisui be in charge of bringing the sleeping bags?

"Get to sleep. We have to leave by five in the morning tomorrow," Itachi ordered, stepping aside as Sakura took several shaky steps to the fairly large sleeping bag. At least, Shisui was bright enough to bring large sized ones. Thank Kami-sama!

Lying inside the large sleeping bag, Sakura watched Itachi zipped the tent lock. Great, now she'd be stuck with him in a locked tent while sleeping in the same sleeping bag. Sakura's Inner squealed in utter delight. Sakura mentally punched her Inner.

* * *

Sakura shivered in the sleeping bag as Itachi slid in next to her and zipped the bag, locking them together. Sakura shifted her bare leg as it then brushed Itachi's covered leg. Sakura stiffened at their close proximity before uncomfortably scooting as far as she could from him.

Staring at the rosy-cheeked apprentice, Itachi sighed inwardly. At this rate, she wouldn't fall asleep because of her uneasiness around him.

"It's better that you're sleeping in my place rather than Kakashi's or Shisui's place, Sakura," Itachi stated. There. Maybe that would do the trick? Hopefully, she would relax now and go to sleep.

Itachi lay on his side, staring at her. Sakura curled into a ball before replying, "True but I'd prefer my own sleeping bag." Itachi shrugged and commented, "You're going to have to deal with it."

"I wasn't complaining, was I?" Sakura questioned, obviously irked. She hugged herself tighter, forcing herself to stop shivering. Her teeth began to chatter as the temperature dropped and the night grew.

Sakura watched as Itachi scooted closer to her and she asked, "Oi, what are you doing?"

Sighing, Itachi clarified, "Unless you want to die from the cold, we're going to share our body heat. I'd prefer for you to remain alive so that Hokage-sama wouldn't have a logical reason to punish me, Sakura."

"That makes sense," Sakura muttered, pressing herself against his hard chest. She could literally feel the heat flowing off his chest. Sakura instantly relaxed from the warm heat and unknowingly wrapped her arms around him before sleepily muttering, "You know, you're like a warm teddy bear, Itachi?"

Shaking his head at her comment, Itachi could feel her pressed up against his chest, molded perfectly. He could see her pink hair and even smell it. Glancing down at her curled form, Itachi assumed that she was asleep.

Closing his eyes, Itachi gently draped an arm around her waist so that they could maintain body heat and not freeze to death if they unconsciously managed to shift away from each other later on.

A little bit later, Sakura flashed her emerald eyes open as she woke from a short dream where she was running away from Madara. Quickly noticing the lying form next to her, Sakura frantically disentangled herself from the wide-awake Itachi and retreated as far as the sleeping bag would let her.

Staring at Sakura bemused, Itachi questioned cautiously, "Are you okay, Sakura?"

Rubbing her eyes, Sakura reminded herself silently that Itachi wasn't Madara. He was Uchiha _Itachi_ and not the crazy murder that had killed her parents.

"Y-yeah," Sakura replied, her voice cracked. _Sure,_ she was okay. That's why her voice cracked, right? Itachi arched a brow, challenging her not-so-assuring reply.

Sakura furrowed her brows in irritation as she restated firmly, "I'm perfectly fine, Itachi."

"Is that so? Then, tell me why you were muttering Uchiha Madara's name in your sleep?" Itachi demanded, crossing his arms.

"I was not muttering his name," Sakura denied. It sounded so gross when she heard it from another person. It's not like she even wanted to dream about the murder who, by the way, was trying to kill her in the dream again.

She averted her stare as Itachi scooted closer, pinning her with that amazingly useful talent of his penetrating stare. Pushing her chin gently upward so that her jade eyes bored into his dark ones, Itachi inquired, "Who are you, Sakura? Obviously, there's no need to deny the fact that you did say his name multiple times. My ears are well trained to pick up even the slightest sounds."

"Caught red handed," Sakura's Inner chided mentally. That earned her another mental punch from an annoyed Sakura.

"I'm Sakura," Sakura stated bluntly and Itachi nodded for her to continue, "Well, what do you want me to say, Itachi? That I'm Haruno Sakura, the apprentice of Tsunade, the new teammate of Team 7, a kunoichi of Konoha."

Itachi released her chin and stated, "I know that already. What I want to know is your connection to Madara, Sakura." Was she a spy?

"I am not related to the man, obviously," Sakura stated harshly and added, "The only reason why I know him is because he was the murder who killed my parents." She would kill the murder once she found him.

Knowing this now, Itachi could confirm that Madara was alive and that his theory was correct after all. He assessed her fully before stating, "Do you know of your clan?"

Sakura arched her brows and asked, "There was a Haruno Clan?" If Itachi knew that she was from a clan, then that really did mean that there was a Haruno clan. That would explain Danzo's earlier statement when they were in the Hokage's office. But why didn't her parents ever tell her this?

Itachi took in her genuinely shocked yet calm expression. Apparently, her parents hid some of her background information from her. He suspected that they hid some even more vital info from her.

Sakura shifted closer to him before she demanded, "Tell me, Itachi. Tell me about the Haruno Clan." Itachi glanced at her hands that were grasping his shoulders tightly and Sakura sheepishly smiled, removing her hands.

"You really don't know anything, do you?" Itachi questioned, amused. Sakura glared at him, fighting the urge to stick her tongue at him. That would only make her look like a child.

"The Haruno Clan was well known for their medical ninjutsu. Supposedly, there were rumors about some sort of special and rare power that the Haruno Clan possessed; however, it wasn't really proven. But that did spark some unwanted interest for the Haruno Clan," Itachi informed and added, "That was the beginning of the clan's extinction."

Sakura narrowed her vibrant green eyes and asked, "You're not lying to me are you, Itachi? And how do you know so much about this clan anyways?"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Itachi responded, "I am truly surprised that you don't even know this, Sakura." Sakura glared at him before waving at him to continue. It wasn't _her_ fault that she was kept in the dark for so long which was practically her entire life.

"Sakura, the Haruno Clan was a prosperous clan of Konohagakure. I would know since it is a part of all clans' personal curriculum. One must be informed of _all_ clans and their inherited techniques, strengths and weaknesses," Itachi explained. Sakura nodded. He seemed believable.

"So, that's all they were known for. It was just their medical ninjutsu?" Sakura phrased, crossing her arms. Then, why did Madara kill her parents?

Itachi nodded shortly before Sakura's teeth began to chatter quietly. Sighing, Itachi opened his arms as Sakura gradually moved into his warm embrace. It wasn't _that_ bad. They had a mutual relationship. It's not like she hated Itachi and neither did Itachi hate her.

Staring at his dark shirt, Sakura kept her jade eyes wide open. She couldn't fall asleep because _he_ could be lurking in her dreams even though he wasn't really there-hopefully.

With his eyes shut, Itachi could feel Sakura tremble a bit even though she was trying her best to not shake. Obviously, she was fearful and didn't want to go back to sleep. Keeping her head tucked under his chin, Itachi smiled a bit. Despite her strong punches, she seemed like a little girl deep inside.

Of course, he wouldn't tell that to her face unless he wanted to be smothered by her treacherous punches. Opening his dark eyes, Itachi comforted, "You don't have to be so afraid, Sakura. It's not like he's here."

Sakura quickly glanced up at him before muttering, "Who said I was afraid?"

Itachi chuckled slightly and reasoned, "You're trembling, Sakura. You're like Sasuke when he was younger." Sakura glared at his chest, imagining holes. Was he trying to imply that she was a kid?

Shaking his head, Itachi assured, "Just go to sleep. Tomorrow, you will need to perform at your usual stamina, Sakura."

Scowling, Sakura clung tighter onto Itachi before mumbling, "I am so not a kid, Itachi."

Feeling her chest against his, Itachi agreed, "Of course, you're not; my apologies, Sakura." Sakura snorted and snuggled closer to his chest, falling asleep without there being any bad dreams. Maybe he was a good luck teddy bear?

Itachi gazed at the sleeping female. How could she be so womanly yet at the same time, she was like a naive child? Obviously, her appearance took the womanly appeal.

Mentally scolding himself for thinking such thoughts, Itachi fought back the urge to touch her soft face. Suddenly, he felt the need to protect her just like he did with Sasuke. But there was starting to be this unfamiliar urge to keep Sakura to himself. Wasn't that known as possessiveness?

Sighing, Itachi wondered how he was going to find Madara and dispose of him if he couldn't even distinguish his own feelings for the Haruno woman. Obviously, he couldn't afford to lose her now that he knew Madara had something to do with her.

Itachi shut his eyes and his thoughts sauntered to Sasuke. He didn't want to lose Sasuke either. Unfortunately, Sasuke had agreed to accept the secret mission in which only a few people knew such as Sasuke, the Hokage and himself.

Hopefully, Sasuke would remain loyal to Konoha despite his secret mission.

Within the duties of shinobis, there lay the burden of being a shinobi.

* * *

**Stay Tuned For Another Chapter of...**

**"Of Lies and Secrets"**

**PLEASE REVIEW :) **

* * *

A/N: Bonjour! Did any of you catch the way I used Sakura's name meaning and mingled it into Madara's dialogue? And, now Sasuke's on a secret mission which will be revealed in the coming chapters! What do you think his mission is? Review your thoughts :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Of Lies and Secrets**

* * *

***Chapter 11: Pink is Alive and Well**

* * *

**NORMAL POV: **

**11 years ago…**

Flipping the book open, Sakura read out loud, "A shinobi must never show emotion or weakness. A shinobi must always put the mission first and never question the commander. A shinobi must prepare before it is too late to. A shinobi must see the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings."

Confused by the last statement, Sakura shut the book and placed it back onto the shelf. Was this truly the way of ninjas? If it was, Sakura didn't really like it.

Walking towards the kitchen, Sakura glanced at her mother who was preparing lunch. Her mother freely expressed her emotions, so did that make her a bad shinobi? She was breaking one of the rules.

Baffled, Sakura walked outside to her father who was chopping wood. Turning around to smile at Sakura, Kizashi asked, "And what you do need today, Sakura-hime?"

Pouting at her confusion, Sakura sat onto a finely chopped piece of wood and asked, "Ne, Otou-san, what does it really mean to be a shinobi?"

Connecting the axe to a chunk of wood, Kizashi yanked it out from the wood as it then split into two pieces and fell off the small platform and onto the grass. He turned to look at Sakura and replied, "The life of a shinobi is complicated, Sakura. You shouldn't worry; you're only seven."

Swinging her small feet back and forth, Sakura stated, "Okaa-san said that too but I want to know why it's complicated."

Bending down to pick up the pieces of wood, Kizashi stood up, tossed the wood into a big pile and answered, "Being a shinobi, you must keep your emotions locked Sakura."

"Why do shinobis have to keep their emotions void? Aren't we human? We're supposed to have emotions," Sakura reasoned, irked. Why were shinobis expected to act and be like machines?

Smiling at Sakura, Kizashi said, "That's how I felt when I first learned about the rules of being a shinobi, Sakura. But here's the trick, Hime, you should know when to express your emotions."

Sakura nodded and muttered, "I see."

"A shinobi must see the hidden meaning within the hidden meaning," Kizashi stated and added, "You should try to figure that one out, Sakura."

Sakura pouted and mumbled, "It's too confusing."

Chuckling, Kizashi replied, "When you're older, you'll understand, Sakura. As for now, just live freely. It doesn't matter about the rules of being a shinobi."

Sakura smiled, nodding in agreement. She didn't have to exactly follow the rules. She could be her own shinobi one day.

* * *

**Present…**

Itachi's platoon had just past the border between the Frost and Lightning countries. And now, they were entering a forest as they urgently headed to the location where Kiba's squad was supposedly at.

Sakura was jumping from tree to tree, next to the still-silent Sasuke. Remembering this morning, Sakura glanced at Itachi who had his back to her since he was leading. She woke up an hour before they were going to leave, but the embarrassing thing was that she was lying curled on top of him.

_And_, he was awake.

Sakura sighed quietly, pushing back the awkward thought and focused on Sasuke. Staring at Sasuke, Sakura puffed her cheeks a bit as she wondered what he was thinking about. Feeling her obvious stare, Sasuke turned to look at her.

"You look ridiculous," Sasuke commented, taking in the sight of a slightly puffed-up cheeky Sakura. She looked like a little girl, especially with her rosy cheeks from the cold air.

"Tch," Sakura muttered, exhaling as her cheeks deflated and she patted her cold cheeks with her hands. It was pretty cold in the Lightning Country. You could see your breath in the morning air.

Sasuke looked away and continued to run as they leapt down from the trees, exiting the forest as they followed a dirt path. Sakura glanced at the bland scenery. It didn't seem like the Lightning was fond of grass, judging from the brown scenery.

"Where's Kiba and Hinata located, Taichou?" Naruto asked with his hands stuffed into his pockets. "Hokage-sama said that they should be located at the end of this dirt path," Itachi answered, still leading the way.

Suspicious, Shisui glanced around the awfully quiet place before he muttered, "Silence isn't always a good thing." Genma nodded as he grabbed a senbon and flicked it into the air.

It flew past the trees and then, a shinobi crashed down onto the ground as Genma flashed in front of him and ordered, "Who are you waiting for, Kumo-nin?"

The injured shinobi looked up at Shisui before muttering, "Like I'm going to tell you." Genma whipped out a set of poison-laced senbons but before he could threaten the man, the Kumo ninja had already committed suicide. Loyalty to one's country was always important.

Retreating from the dead man, Genma narrowed his eyes and concluded, "He was probably after us. They probably guessed that someone from Konoha would come to rescue Kiba's squad."

Expressionless, Itachi prodded, "Let us go."

* * *

At the end of the path was a large Kumo base. Itachi and the others were hiding behind several trees with their chakra hidden. Naruto narrowed his eyes and muttered, "So, Kiba and Hinata are in there, huh?"

"What do we do now, Itachi?" Shisui asked, looking at him. Turning around to look at them, Itachi instructed, "We infiltrate as peacefully as possible. Hokage-sama does not want us to fight unless it is necessary. Remember that we are only here to retrieve Inuzuka and Hyuga, nothing else."

Naruto pouted and nodded, obedient. Itachi divided them into groups, Genma and Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, Kakashi and Shisui, leaving himself to work alone.

* * *

After analyzing the base thoroughly, they climbed over the large cement wall that circled the base and hid behind the large tents, moving from one tent to the other. Sakura and Sasuke headed towards the center of the base, guessing that that was where the two were being imprisoned.

Kakashi and Shisui stopped, taking cover behind two large barrows. A group of Kumo shinobis exited a tent, chatting loudly. They were talking about drinking sake later on in the night, obviously unaware that their base had been breached. Shisui smirked.

Naruto glanced around before he slyly slipped into the building in the center of the base with Genma trailing after him like a shadow. Right next to Naruto was a Kumo guard but before he could do anything, Genma flicked a senbon at the man who slugged onto the ground, unconscious.

Naruto gave two thumbs up to Genma and quietly hurried through the dark hallways, searching for Hinata and Kiba. Genma scanned the row of cells on the right side whereas Naruto took the left side. They were back to back, working as a duo.

Nearing the end of the building, Naruto muttered, "Ne, Genma, they're not in here." Genma looked around as he then stated, "There was no one in the cells. We've been tricked."

As if on cue, several bombs exploded and the building began to collapse. Naruto and Genma quickly retreated out of the falling building and hid behind a tent.

Sasuke and Sakura glanced at the collapsed building as they were standing behind a different tent. They saw Naruto and Genma safely escape from the building and take cover without being discovered. If Hinata and Kiba weren't in there, then where were they?

All of the Kumo shinobis exited from the tents, staring at the fallen building. Smirking, one of the Kumo ninjas stated, "It looks like we have some intruders."

Everything had been set up. The Kumo knew that and evacuated Hinata and Kiba to a different place. There was a howling sound and Sakura lifted her face to look in the direction of the howl. It sounded like a dog in pain.

She then remembered that Kiba always had a dog with him, a fairly large one too. What was his name? Amakura-no, wait, it was Akamaru! That was the dog's name.

Sakura looked at Sasuke who nodded, thinking the same thing that she was. Sasuke stared at the tent located at the far end of the base. That's where Kiba and Hinata were being kept.

Sakura and Sasuke silently moved towards the tent. Naruto and Genma saw the two and prepared to distract the Kumo group. Genma moved to another tent and with a flick of his wrist, he managed to pierce his senbons into several bodies. A row of five Kumos lay on the ground, unconscious.

The other Kumos glanced around, narrowing their eyes. Appearing behind some of the isolated Kumos, Kakashi pressed a spot on their necks and they all dropped unconscious onto the ground. Shisui used his Sharingan to knock them out when the victims stared into his bloody-red eyes and fell into a dark abyss.

And before they knew it, there were only four Kumos standing still conscious while the Konoha shinobis would appear, attack and then retreat into the shadows before they flashed from one place to the other. The remaining four Kumos would glance from side to side, trying to follow the flickering shadows as it flashed.

* * *

Arriving at the tent, Sasuke entered first as Sakura followed him. A Kumo ninja charged at Sasuke who dodged and the man crashed towards Sakura who punched him flying into the cement wall. The tent shook from the man's crash into the wall.

Sakura and Sasuke hurried to Kiba and Hinata.

"Kiba," Sasuke stated and Kiba sat up before saying, "They did something to Hinata. She's been unconscious since they captured us." Sakura glanced at the wounded dog and quickly moved to treat the dog's wound.

Akamaru opened his large eye before letting out a growl. Sakura held her hands up and soothed, "Ne, Akamaru, I won't hurt you. Trust me."

"He doesn't like others besides me," Kiba stated, trying to get up. Sasuke nodded and muttered, "It's true, Sakura. Ask Naruto if you want first-hand evidence."

Sakura looked back at Akamaru and calmed, "Ne, you like me? Of course, you do." She boldly reached to the dog, patting him before she praised, "Now, who's the good dog? Yes, you are."

Bending down to heal his injuries, Sakura glanced at them over her shoulder before she smirked in triumph. Kiba looked at Sasuke and stated, "I stand corrected."

Sakura focused back onto healing Akamaru. A Kumo shinobi suddenly appeared with his kunai charged at Sakura. Sakura looked up to find Itachi gripping the man's wrist as he demanded, "What did you do with the Hyuga?"

The man shook his head, biting his tongue until it bled. Itachi let the man go when a kunai was thrown at the Kumo shinobi. Gazing out of the tent, Itachi stated, "Kabuto."

Walking towards the tent until he was about five meters away, Kabuto stated, "Oh, Itachi-san, is that you? It would be honor to fight with you."

After she finished healing Akamaru, Sakura hurried to treat Kiba's wounds. He only had a broken arm and several gashes on his arms asides from light scrapes. Quickly healing him, Sakura moved over to Hinata.

Gently grabbing her wrist, Sakura checked the female Hyuga's pulse. She was still alive. Sakura glanced at the dark-haired woman before placing a hand on her forehead. She was at the normal temperature. Staring at the unconscious Hinata, Sakura asked, "What did they do to her?"

She turned to look at Kiba who replied, "They removed me from the place when Kabuto came to her."

Sakura stood up and glared at the nearby Kabuto who smirked in delight and greeted, "Ah, Sakura-san, it's great to see you again. I was just thinking about killing you."

Tilting her head in amusement, Sakura tauntingly remarked, "Oh, you came back for another butt-whipping, didn't you Kabuto?" Kabuto grinded his teeth as he refrained himself and just pushed back his glasses in a collective manner.

"What did you do to her?" Sakura demanded. She could see Kakashi and the others closing in on him. They were going to corner him and then, Sakura was going to pound her fists into his annoying face. Well, that's what she hoped for unless someone interfered.

"Do not act unless I say so, Sakura," Itachi stated, only so that Sakura could hear. Sakura scowled but nodded, submitting. Yep, and that someone was probably going to be Itachi.

"Ah, you want to know what I did to her?" Kabuto questioned and continued, "Don't worry. I just extracted the Byakugan from her."

Kiba glared at the man before saying, "I'm going to kill you!"

Laughing, Kabuto assured, "I didn't extract the Byakugan from her, you Leaf ninja. If I did, she'd be dead."

Sakura crossed her arms and added, "And it would've taken you a while since the process of extracting human eyes needs to be handled with delicate and intense care. Not to mention that, the eye isn't a normal eye. It's an eye enhanced with the Kekkai Genkai of the Hyuga Clan."

"True, Sakura-san; indeed, you're medical skills are superb as always. Come with me to Orochimaru-sama and I will tell you what I did with the Hyuga," Kabuto offered. Sakura arched her brows, giving him a disdainful look. He was still trying to make her go with him?

"She isn't going anywhere," Itachi stated causing Kabuto to shift his stare onto him. Shisui smirked and added, "Or we could always _force_ you to tell us, Kabuto."

Kabuto turned around to look at the threatening Shisui who smiled. Narrowing his eyes, Kabuto glanced at Sasuke and Sakura before commenting, "What a coincidence? Both of Orochimaru-sama's favorite people are here."

Sakura looked at Sasuke who remained expressionless as usual. She knew that Orochimaru wanted Sasuke, especially after the ruckus he created several years ago when he attacked Konoha during the Chunin exams.

Practically everyone knew that Orochimaru had an undying interest in Sasuke. The Uchiha Clan was ultimately pissed off and would be more than happy to hunt down the snake sannin and kill him right on the spot. Why not? They were strong and talented enough to do so.

"Neither Sasuke nor Sakura will go with you," Itachi stated. Sasuke shifted his stare onto Itachi and quickly looked back at Kabuto.

"Oi, Kabuto, what did you do to Hinata?" Naruto demanded, holding a fist up. Kabuto smirked and responded, "Naruto-kun, you're still as loud as ever. Too bad though. Orochimaru-sama didn't see any value in you. I wonder what Jiraiya-sama saw in you though?"

Naruto glared at the man and stated, "Jiraiya could whip your ass any time just like I can, Kabuto."

"Oh, are you so sure of yourself, Naruto-kun?" Kabuto questioned, pulling out a kunai. Sakura took a step but Sasuke held her back before muttering, "Do not act unless Itachi orders you to, Sakura."

Sakura nodded and stood still, jade eyes pinned onto Kabuto. Genma held a hand out, signaling for Naruto to not do anything reckless. Naruto crossed his arms as he stared at the unconscious Hinata.

"What did you do with the Hyuga?" Itachi inquired, walking towards Kabuto. Kabuto turned around to look at Itachi which was a big mistake because he was staring right into Itachi's powerful Sharingan.

Locking their stares, Itachi stated softly, "Tsukuyomi."

Sakura watched as Kabuto's body stiffened suddenly and Itachi just stood there staring at the man. Hearing Hinata groan softly, Sakura and Kiba rushed to her side.

Fluttering her milky eyes open, Hinata quickly sat up and rubbed her eyes. She looked around and stuttered, "K-Kiba, are you here?"

Glancing at Sakura briefly, Kiba turned back to Hinata and confirmed attentively, "Yes, Hinata, I'm right next to you. Is there something the matter?" He scanned Hinata's composed expression.

Kabuto let out a cry of agony as Itachi continued to torture him. Shisui placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder, hoping that he wouldn't take it too far. Kabuto was a good source to interrogate. Itachi nodded, understanding what Shisui was silently trying to tell him. He released Kabuto from his Sharingan and took a step back, watching Kabuto fall helplessly onto the ground.

Kabuto's eyes were dull. It seemed like he wasn't good with Genjutsu. It was an obvious weakness that the Leaf could use now that they knew.

Sakura noticed Hinata's silent panic and pushed Kiba aside gently before she asked, "Hinata, can you see?" Stiffening, Hinata replied in a shaky voice, "I-I can't see."

Sakura cursed under her breath. She knew something was different about Hinata's eyes. What in the world did Kabuto do? Kiba stalked out of the tent, charging at the dazed Kabuto before landing several punches on the man.

"What the hell were you trying to accomplish by blinding Hinata, you bastard?!" Kiba shouted, crouching over Kabuto before he landed a beastly punch on Kabuto's face. After Kiba punched Kabuto a bit more, Naruto sauntered over to pull Kiba off of Kabuto.

Genma, Shisui and Kakashi watched as Sakura began to heal Hinata's eyes. Why would Kabuto go this far? Kiba huffed as Akamaru growled at Kabuto.

Standing up, Kabuto picked up his glasses before wiping them with the hem of his shirt and putting it on. Wiping the trail of blood away from his lips, Kabuto snickered and answered, "A Hyuga is useless without their Byakugan."

Sakura channeled her healing chakra into Hinata's eyes. She had to heal Hinata's eyes and she would heal Hinata's eyes. Nothing could stop her, no one.

Staring at the determined Sakura, Kabuto claimed haughtily, "It useless, Sakura-san. You can't-" Sakura glared at him darkly, cutting him off as she snapped, "I _will_ heal her eyes, Kabuto. And when the time comes, I will kill you."

Sasuke and the others felt a dark aura emit from Sakura the moment she stated that. Sakura was really pissed. Kabuto narrowed his eyes and muttered, "You won't be able to heal it."

"And why do you say that?" Naruto asked, stepping closer to him. Kabuto was cornered now. He had nowhere to run to. All of the Kumo shinobis at the base were knocked out for a good period of time.

"Watch," Kabuto stated, turning to look at Sakura and Hinata. Sasuke was standing outside of the tent, watching intently. What did Kabuto want them to look for?

Hinata coughed and wiped away the streak of blood. Sakura stopped moving and asked with concern, "Hinata, are you okay?" Why was Hinata suddenly coughing blood? Something was definitely wrong.

Turning her head in the direction of Sakura's voice, Hinata smiled and lied, "I'm fine, Sakura-chan." Sakura narrowed her emerald eyes before it hardened and she ordered, "Hinata lie down. I need to check something."

Hinata lied down and Sakura checked her pulse. It was gradually slowing down. Sakura was standing on her knees as she questioned, "Hinata, what did he do to you?" Her pulse was fine just a while ago and now, it was slowing down?

Hinata opened her eyes and replied, "He gave me medicine that Hyuga's are not supposed to be treated with." Sakura widened her eyes as Hinata coughed blood.

Sakura understood what Kabuto had now done. After intentionally giving Hinata the wrong medicine, Kabuto was trying to destroy the Byakugan from the inside while hoping that it would surface to the outside, meaning that it would become a physical pain.

And one of the effects of the improper medicine was blindness. Sakura exhaled harshly as she dropped onto the ground, sitting completely. What could she do now?

"Sakura-chan, what's the matter? Is Hinata going to be okay?" Naruto asked, worried. Kakashi, Genma and Shisui could tell that Sakura was stumped. They were standing around Kabuto, leaving Sasuke to stand next to the tent.

Smirking triumphantly at the sight of Sakura helpless and defeated, Kabuto praised, "I'll give you props for quickly catching onto what I did, Sakura-san." Sakura shifted her head as she glared at him.

"What did you do to her?" Genma asked, removing his stare from the dying Hinata.

"I gave her the wrong medicine and now she will die," Kabuto simply explained. The rest understood which medicine Kabuto was talking about. During one of the Great Ninja wars, one of the Kumo medics had created a pill that would destroy the Byakugan. But in order to destroy the Byakugan, the Hyuga had to die.

After the war ended, peace treaties were signed and the great nations all agreed to abolish the destructive pill forever.

"How did you get the pill?" Kakashi questioned. He knew that Kabuto was the son of an advanced medic from Konoha. His father died from an illness leaving Kabuto to fend for himself but Kabuto had been trained well, especially in the medical area.

"Why of course? I managed to create a replica of the pill thanks to the help of an old friend," Kabuto replied with a hint of playfulness. He smirked in delight when horror flashed upon Hinata's face. Did that mean that the Hyuga Clan was in danger now that the pill was recreated?

"Of course, I can manage to save her life just as long as Sakura-san comes with me," Kabuto suggested. In a flash, Sakura stood up, appeared in front of Kabuto and punched him in the face. Caught off guard, Kabuto crashed into the wall as Sakura stalked towards him and jerked him towards her as she grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"I am not going with you," Sakura seethed. How many times did she have to tell him?

Sakura retreated as she flung Kabuto back towards Naruto them who were several feet away. Walking towards Hinata, Sakura dropped onto her knees and began to heal the dying Hinata.

Standing up, Kabuto exclaimed, "She'll die whether you like it or not, Sakura-san." Kakashi summoned his dogs and they latched their mouths onto Kabuto, keeping him locked in place with their teeth.

Dark clouds rumbled in the sky as it began to rain.

Inside of the tent, Sakura bit her lip as Hinata muttered weakly, "Sakura-chan, don't push yourself so hard. It's okay if I die. At least I died for the village's sake." She smiled weakly and Sakura could feel tears brimming at the bottom of her eyes.

Sakura noticed a tear slip from Hinata's milky eyes. The girl didn't want to die. She was too young to die now. Sakura wouldn't let her die. No one would die under her watch.

Sakura channeled even more chakra into her hands as she pumped Hinata's chest. She chanted the rhythm softly, "One, two, three."

Sasuke and the others were standing outside in the rain, watching silently as Sakura tried to heal Hinata. Kabuto tilted his head in amusement as he questioned, "What's the matter, Sakura-san? You've never experienced someone die under your healing hands?"

Sakura stopped moving her glowing hands as Hinata gently gripped Sakura's hands. Hinata smiled and said, "I was actually hoping to get to know you better, Sakura-chan." Sakura felt tears roll down her cheeks. Hinata actually wanted to get to know her?

Sakura wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and thought about the rule of shinobis. A shinobi never shows their emotions. Sakura stiffened her shoulders as she bit her lip, fighting the tears away.

"After this, Hinata, I promise you that we can talk all day long," Sakura assured and stated, "But you have to stay awake, got it?" Hinata nodded. Her milky eyes were dull as blindness took over.

"Persistent," Kabuto commented and winced when the dogs bit harder on him. Kakashi glanced at Sakura. She reminded him of someone he used to know, someone who was as determined and courageous like Sakura.

Naruto stared at the two females alone in the tent with great worry. Genma sighed and thought that the mission was going to be a failure. Shaking his head, Shisui stated, "The mission will be a success, guys."

Everyone looked at Shisui, including Kabuto. Shisui explained, "Itachi said it before. He said that the mission was going to be a success. From experience, I'd know that Itachi has an accurate sense of predicting the success of his missions."

Genma nodded and muttered, "Yeah, I could say the same." Kakashi smiled beneath his mask and added, "Sakura never fails to amaze me with her healing. She truly is a medical genius." Naruto smiled widely and glanced at Sasuke who nodded in agreement.

"There's a reason why Hokage-sama placed Sakura onto the mission," Itachi informed, turning to stare at Sakura who had her back to all of them. She was just as stubborn as Tsunade.

"You won't die, Hinata," Sakura stated, confidently. She had her green-glowing hands placed on top of Hinata's chest. Hinata was now unconscious as she neared the final stages of the medicine's effect.

Shutting her eyes, Sakura focused all of her chakra into one place before she saw the Sakura tree from her dream. There was a pink glow around the tree. Sakura stared at the pink tree and lifted a hand to touch it, but she didn't touch it. She just left her hand hovering in the air a few inches from the Sakura tree.

"Go ahead, Sakura," Mebuki urged, appearing next to Sakura. Sakura turned to look at her mother, shocked to see her. Mebuki smiled and stated, "Touch it, use it and save the girl, Sakura."

Sakura nodded and placed her hand onto the cherry blossom tree. A wave of power spread throughout her body and Sakura turned to glance at her mother.

"I'm proud of you, Sakura. You found the answer just like you've always asked," Mebuki praised before disappearing.

Sakura flashed open her jade eyes as she noticed that her glowing chakra wasn't green anymore, it was _pink._ Yes, pink like her hair was right now. Her chakra was pink like a Sakura tree.

Kabuto widened his eyes in disbelief as he questioned, "What's happening?"

Everyone was staring at Sakura as the pink chakra consumed her entire body. She was radiating pink. Itachi narrowed his eyes. Was this the 'rare and special' power that was rumored many years ago? The power that led to the Haruno Clans' extinction?

Sakura placed her glowing pink hands over Hinata's eyes and miraculously healed the damaged eyes. Hinata's pale skin returned to a healthy shade. Sakura ran her glowing hands over Hinata's severe injuries, healing everything.

Smiling in delight, Sakura removed her hands as Hinata fluttered her milky eyes open, feeling better than ever. The pink glow faded and Sakura's hands glowed green instead of pink now. Retracting her healing chakra, Sakura hugged Hinata and said, "See? You're all better now, Hinata."

Sakura stood up and whirled around to smirk at Kabuto smugly before she asked, "And what were you saying about me not being able to heal her, Kabuto?" Itachi smirked. Obviously, Kabuto had underestimated Sakura.

Kabuto glared at her before saying, "You just got lucky, _Haruno_. I'll see you next time." With that said, he vanished leaving a light fog of smoke in his place.

Naruto rushed over to Hinata, pulling her into a hug. Sakura smiled and retreated out from the tent. The rain had stopped and she glanced at a puddle as the sun came out from behind the disappearing clouds.

"Kami-sama," Sakura stated, standing as she peered into a puddle with disbelief. Sakura touched her hair in an instant, pulling her _pink_ hair so that she could see it. Glancing at the sun briefly, Sakura turned to look at Sasuke with her lips formed into a smile.

Exhaling in a calm manner, Sakura looked into the sky and screamed excitedly, "My hair is finally PINK!" Kiba arched a brow at her statement. Sakura beamed brightly as she twirled through the puddles, splashing water all over the place.

Skipping over to Sasuke, Sakura questioned, "My hair is _pink_, Sasuke. Can you believe it?" She grabbed his hand, dragging him with her as she smiled happily and said, "Aren't you happy for me?"

Pulling his hand from hers, Sasuke looked at Sakura's pink hair and muttered, "I guess it's good that you have your pink hair back." Sakura whirled around to flash him a smile before she sauntered off to Kakashi and Genma, pointing at her hair.

* * *

Shisui and Itachi were watching Sakura skip freely as Kiba and Naruto helped a blushing Hinata stand. With his arms crossed, Shisui commented, "She really is a Haruno, isn't she?"

Itachi smirked and questioned, "Did you just figure that out now, Shisui?" Shisui shook his head and replied, "No, I always knew she was but this really proved it. She's a medical genius, Itachi."

"Indeed, she is," Itachi stated. He was staring at the pink-haired, jade-eyed woman who was bouncing around happily like a child. Shisui and him watched as Genma said something to Sakura and pointed at their direction.

As if on cue, the wind blew back Sakura's silky pink hair as she whirled around to stare at the two. Her emerald eyes were vibrant and glittering with curiosity as she walked towards the two Uchihas confidently.

Itachi felt an intense pang of desire shoot through his body as he watched her near them. For some reason, she looked even more appealing now that her hair was pink. It made her look bright and compelling with the exoticism between the colors.

Approaching Shisui and Itachi, Sakura asked, "Ne, Genma said that Shisui's your cousin, Itachi. Is that true? How can a pervert like him be your cousin? If he's your cousin, then that means that he's Sasuke's cousin too!"

Shisui twitched and defended, "Oi, I'm not a pervert, Sakura-chan!" Sakura arched her brows and questioned, "Then, what are you?"

"I'm a man with hormones," Shisui stated, proud. Sasuke neared them and corrected, "One with 'raging' hormones." Shisui glared at Sasuke and demanded, "Teaming up on me aren't you?"

"I heard what you called us last night, Shisui," Sasuke replied, narrowing his eyes. Shisui called Naruto and him teenagers with 'raging' hormones. That itself wounded Sasuke's ego. Was Shisui trying to imply that he had no self-control? That could apply to Naruto, but not him. Who did Shisui think he was? He was Uchiha Sasuke, damn right!

Shisui and Sasuke glared at each other before both of them turned to look at Itachi, hoping for him to take one of their sides. Sakura arched her brows as she glanced at Itachi. What was he going to do now?

"Well, Itachi, whose side are you on?" Shisui asked, crossing his arms. Sasuke nodded and added, "Take my side, Itachi." Itachi remained expressionless and stated, "We need to get back to Konoha. Shisui and Sasuke, tell the others that we're leaving."

Turning to leave, Itachi grabbed Sakura's wrist who demanded, "Oi, what are you doing?"

Smirking at Sakura, Itachi answered, "You shouldn't start problems, Sakura. I have to explain to you the consequences since you went against the Hokage's orders."

Sakura looked at him with disbelief and challenged, "Hey, I didn't start the bickering. I was just simply expressing my curiosity, Itachi. And what do you mean by me disobeying the Hokage's orders?"

Itachi looked at her and muttered, "You're so childish, Sakura. You didn't act under my orders which was the Hokage's orders."

Sakura stopped in the middle of her tracks, sending a punch at Itachi as she exclaimed, "I am not childish!" Itachi released his hold on her, dodged the punch and glued his the bottom of his sandals onto the cement wall using chakra.

"How did I disobey you?" Sakura demanded, huffing as she crossed her arms. She tilted her chin upwards to get a good look at him.

"You didn't listen to me when I told you to not do anything. You punched Kabuto without my approval, remember, Sakura?" Itachi reasoned. Sakura snorted and countered, "Well, then, how come Kiba got to punch him without any approval, Itachi?"

Smirking, Itachi agreed, "Good point, Sakura. He's not under my squad. That's why he could do whatever he wants without me chastising him." Sakura scowled and stomped off muttering to herself that she wasn't a child and that Itachi was a mean captain who liked to bully those underneath him.

Leaping off from the wall, Itachi watched Sakura head towards the Kumo's base exit with Hinata, Kiba, Naruto and Sasuke. Kakashi and Genma were resuming their previous conversation about Icha Icha Paradise. Shisui appeared next Itachi and asked, "You've angered her for sure, Itachi."

Itachi shrugged and replied, "She needed to know that." Looking at Itachi, Shisui asked, "Are you going to report her disobeying orders to the Hokage?"

Itachi nodded and explained, "As captain, it is my duty to inform the Hokage of everything that occurs within a mission, Shisui."

Shisui whistled and commented, "You do know that the Hokage's going to be harsh with Sakura-chan? She'll probably punish Sakura-chan for putting herself in danger." Itachi shrugged and Shisui added, "But it would be fun to see Sakura-chan struggle with Tsunade's punishment, don't you think so, Itachi?"

Itachi remained expressionless. What he really wanted to do was return to Konoha, give Tsunade the report, and see how things turned out from there. So, yes, in a way, he was hoping to see Sakura struggle. And no, he wasn't a mean bully; he was just simply being himself, Uchiha Itachi.

* * *

**Stay Tuned For Another Chapter of...**

**"Of Lies and Secrets"**

**PLEASE REVIEW :) **

* * *

A/N: Konichiwa! Yes, so Sakura finally has her pink hair back. The key answer to her getting her pink hair back was basically activating her power which will be further explained in the later chapters. Please Review your thoughts :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Of Lies and Secrets**

* * *

***Chapter 12: It has Begun**

* * *

**NORMAL POV:**

**4 years ago…**

Running in a dark forest in the middle of the night, Sakura glanced over her shoulder. Was he still following her? The fourteen year old female was being chased by an Akatsuki member, a masked man to be specific.

Sakura stopped, standing still on a branch as she scanned the environment closely. He could be there any minute and she wouldn't know. She knew better than to underestimate the masked man. After all, he was an Akatsuki member, an S-rank nin.

"Ah, finally, I caught up to you!" a giddy but masculine voice declared.

Eyes wide, Sakura whirled her cloaked body around to look at him. She clutched her hood, making sure that her identity was hidden. She didn't even sense his presence. Truly, he was a mysterious man.

The masked man was standing on a branch several feet away from her. His mask had swirls imprinted and there was a hole, revealing an eye.

Sakura narrowed her green eyes at the man before demanding, "What do you want?" The man laughed brightly, like a child, and replied, "Ne, I just wanted a friend to play with."

"Play with?" Sakura questioned scornfully and declined, "No, thanks. I don't want to play with you." Perhaps he meant to say he wanted someone to kill? That would seem more appropriate.

Sakura leapt off the branch, landing soundlessly onto the ground as she walked away from the unfamiliar man. The man jumped a branch closer to the walking Sakura before he stated in a deep, mature voice, "I know that you're trying to find the man who killed your parents."

Sakura ceased walking. The man knew? He knew who she was. He knew what she had been seeking all her life. Sakura waited for the man to continue as she stood patiently.

Smirking behind his mask, he introduced, "My name is Tobi. I work for the Akatsuki, but I'm not here to kill you." Sakura turned around, setting her intense emerald stare onto him.

Peering down into the emerald eyes, Tobi commented in a childish voice, "Oh, you have really pretty eyes." Sakura quirked a brow at the sudden change of personality and questioned, "Do you have a multi-personality disorder?"

Tobi laughed and replied, "Heh, that's what Deidara-sempai keeps telling me too. I might though, eh?" He shrugged, not caring.

Sakura narrowed her green eyes. She had to be careful; he could attack her any minute even if he was the 'good and happy' Tobi.

"Why are you following me?" Sakura inquired, looking up at him. Tobi sat on the branch and answered, "I happened to see you past by the same area I was, so I decided to pay a visit to you."

Sakura crossed her arms, not believing. He was here for something and she knew it. Maybe he was under his leader's order and couldn't reveal his mission?

"I know who you're after, girl," Tobi exclaimed in a deep voice. Sakura didn't like the fact that he kept switching voices. It was unsettling and made her even more uncomfortable.

"Who am I after?" Sakura questioned, hoping that he would tell her. She knew that she was after a murder, a man but she didn't know what his name was.

Standing up, the mature Tobi riddled, "A cursed clan will die by the hands of its own clansmen. Pure blood will be shed against pure blood, brother against brother."

Sakura took several steps back and asked, "What do you mean?" Tobi shrugged playfully and assured in a childish voice, "You're a smart girl; you can figure it out."

He took several steps backwards, fading into the dark shadows that the clumped trees casted. Sakura took a step closer, holding a hand up as she demanded, "Wait, you didn't tell me who the man was! Don't go yet."

Yes. She was being ridiculous, risking her safety. She was calling for an unknown man- possibly, her enemy- to come back. Who knows, he might even respond and slaughter her? But for some reason, Sakura believed him, that he wouldn't harm her… tonight.

As he swirled into thin air, Tobi bade in his deep voice, "All in time, girl, you will come to understand. Until then, we will not meet." With that said, he disappeared.

Sakura sighed, punching a tree. She was so close to finding the murder's identity.

* * *

**Present…**

Hearing a knock on the door, Tsunade ordered, "Come in, Sakura."

After they had retrieved Hinata and Kiba, the group of Konoha ninjas returned to Konoha safely. Sakura had several peaceful days to herself since Itachi called off training; apparently, there was a clan meeting which meant that Shisui and Sasuke would be gone too. Naruto and Kakashi were out on easy missions along with Genma.

Sakura spent most of her time meeting the other kunoichis in Konoha. Hinata was the one mainly introducing her to other shinobis around their age.

Sakura entered the office and asked, "Tsunade-sama, you called for me?" Tsunade nodded, closing a scroll before saying, "Sakura, you know the consequences of disobeying orders."

Sakura remained composed. She knew the day was going to come. Itachi had reported her rebellious actions during the mission to Kumo territory.

"Yes," Sakura stated. She wasn't going to run from the consequences. She would simply face it, not running from or to it.

"As your punishment, you will have to undergo a strict training," Tsunade informed and added, "which will be lead by your ANBU captain, Sakura." It seemed obvious that Itachi would have to shape her 'rebellious' habit. He was her ANBU captain anyways.

Sakura stared at her teacher and repeated, "Training?"

The female Hokage shook her head and clarified, "It's not training to enhance your combat skills. It is training to mold your obedience, Sakura."

Sakura cringed inwardly. Damn, that meant that she'd be stuck with Itachi for a while. Sakura's inner pranced around in delight. That meant that they'd be spending time with the delectable Itachi!

Sakura mentally hit her Inner before focusing again.

"And when will this start?" Sakura questioned. Hopefully, it wasn't so soon. She still wanted to have free time to herself.

"Your training will commence as soon as his clan meeting is over," Tsunade answered and added, "You must obey everything he says, Sakura. Do not be so stubborn in his presence. He is a hard grader; he won't let you off easily."

Sakura scowled, stuffed her hands into her pockets and muttered, "Yes, Shishou." Tsunade stared at her apprentice with silent sympathy before saying, "You may leave, Sakura. The Uchiha will come find you when it is time."

"Right," Sakura mumbled lazily, exiting the office and shutting it softly.

She was scolding herself for being so stubborn. Damn her for being so dumb. Why didn't she think before punching Kabuto? Shaking her head, Sakura mentally reasoned that she wasn't going to regret her actions. After all, she _did_ punch the guy pretty good but it could have been better.

Walking down the stairs, Sakura glanced out at the view; she could see the entire village from up there. Sighing, Sakura continued to descend as she then headed to her apartment.

On the way to her apartment, Sakura saw her reflection in a mirror. Her pink hair was back. Feeling a giddy feeling stir in her stomach, Sakura refrained from smiling like an idiot and rushed to her apartment.

And when she arrived at her apartment, Itachi was standing there. Sakura walked towards him, shoulders square with back straight. Itachi turned to look at the pink-haired kunoichi.

"Sakura," Itachi greeted. Sakura nodded and asked, "Did you need something, Itachi?"

He pulled out a white bag, extending it to Sakura. Sakura grabbed the bag hesitantly and Itachi explained, "It's your clothes for the training session."

Sakura stared at Itachi's expressionless face, remaining composed as she then questioned, "Does that mean that we're starting today?" Itachi nodded and informed, "The clan meeting finished this morning."

Sakura cursed in her head.

"Go switch into this and then, we'll start," Itachi ordered. Sakura entered her apartment and headed into the bathroom, leaving Itachi to stand in her living room alone.

Sakura stared at the black T-shirt and the black cargo capris. Why did they have to be black? Didn't the Uchiha know that black attracted heat easily? She knew that black was an Uchiha color, but seriously? She wasn't even an Uchiha so why did she have to wear black in the middle of a hot, blistering day?

Shaking her head, Sakura pushed back the questions as she chanted mentally, "I can do this. I can, I really can do this." Sakura exited the bathroom wearing the black shirt, cargo capris and her dark ankle-length ninja sandals.

Grabbing her short pink hair softly, Sakura tied her hair up into a high pony tail. If she was going to train, she'd train without there being any personal interference. She needed to see what she was doing.

Approaching the quiet Itachi, Sakura questioned, "All right, now what?" Itachi assessed her appearance and praised, "It seems you dressed accordingly."

Sakura quirked her brows and asked, "What are you talking about? You're the one who gave me the clothes. Oh and why do they have to be black? You do know that black attracts heat, right?"

Itachi exited her apartment as she locked it and stated, "I know, Sakura. It's a good thing you didn't put on any cosmetics."

Sakura whirled around to look at him before she replied, "I would know better than to wear makeup, Itachi." She was going to be sweating and she didn't want to look like a freaky clown with her makeup smeared all over her face. And she never really wore makeup anyways because she was always on the run.

* * *

Itachi led Sakura past the Hokage's headquarters and Sakura asked, "We're going back to Tsunade-sama?" Itachi looked up at the Hokage sculptures and replied, "No, Sakura, we're going to pay a visit to the Hokages."

Sakura arched her brows before she saw a figure standing on top of the Hokage monument. Nearing the monumental site, Sakura could define that the person standing on top of the site was Shisui. He was smiling like crazy and waving his arms with a towel in one hand.

Wait- why was there a towel? Sakura stared at Itachi's back as he ascended the stairs. She thought about his earlier statement and suddenly, it all clicked.

"So when you say that _we're_ going to visit the Hokages, you mean that _I'm _going to be spending some close time with them? After all, I am going to be the one cleaning them?" Sakura phrased.

Not bothering to look at her, Itachi smirked at her perceptiveness as he answered, "Correct, Sakura. A shinobi should learn to cherish his village."

Sakura nodded and wondered if he was trying to imply that she didn't love or 'cherish' Konoha enough. As they approached the smirking Shisui, Itachi turned to look at Sakura and commanded, "You have until tonight to finish cleaning these sculptures."

Sakura turned to look down at the gigantic, sculpted faces of the past Hokages. Whistling as she calmly took in her assignment, Sakura commented, "Well, it looks pretty polished to me."

"Is that a form of disobedience, I hear?" Shisui asked innocently. Sakura turned to flash him a glare before she clarified, "I was just expressing my thoughts. Geez, am I not allowed to verbally express my opinions?"

Before the two Uchihas could reply, Sakura grabbed the towel from Shisui's hand and a bucket full of soapy water and a scrub. She headed towards the platform that was soon going to be descended when she stepped on it.

* * *

Wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, Sakura exhaled before she muttered, "Damn, the color black." Gritting her teeth, Sakura knew that Itachi had intentionally given her black clothes. She was perspiring so much that the back of her shirt was wet.

Okay, so that was an exaggeration. She was sweating but not_ that_ much.

The reason why her shirt was wet? That was all Shisui's doing. He was giving Sakura a new bucket full of water, but the rope that was transporting the bucket was really 'weak' and so it gave into the weight of the bucket plus the water. That meant that the bucket flipped upside down and splashed its liquid onto Sakura or so that's what Shisui reasoned.

Nodding in approval, Sakura took several steps back as far as she could without falling off the platform. She assessed her more than halfway completed assignment. She had just finished scrubbing and drying the first three Hokages' faces. There was only two more left, the fourth and fifth Hokages.

Sakura glanced upward as she covered her eyes with an arm and shouted, "Oi, one of you two up there, I finished the third one! Move me to my right- your left!"

"Oh my, what a fast and efficient worker you are, Sakura-chan," Shisui loudly commented as they shifted her levitating platform to the next Hokage. Sakura held onto the rail, not wanting to fall off from the momentum.

"Get to work," Itachi stated, not raising his voice. For some reason, Sakura's ears had become adjusted to distinguishing his voice automatically. If she was standing in the middle of a crowd, she would still be able to hear his rich, velvety voice among the other voices.

"Tch," Sakura mumbled under her breath. Planting the scrub gently on the Fourth Hokage's face, Sakura took in his facial structure. He seemed like a handsome man, judging from the sculpture. Tilting her head, Sakura wondered what he was like.

From what she had heard, he was a good man; a man of great ethics and love for his village. Scrubbing one of his cheeks, Sakura concluded that Naruto did look like his father. Tsunade had informed her of Naruto's parents a while ago.

Ceasing to diligently scrub, Sakura stared at the carved face as she thought about Naruto. He was similar to her but still, they were both different people. Naruto lost his parent before he could even talk to them. Sakura felt a rush of sorrow for Naruto but quickly remembered what he told her once.

"Sakura-chan, my parents are with me. I know. I can feel them in every step I take. Sometimes, I wonder how my life would've been if my parents were still alive," Naruto stated and continued, "but that means that everything that's happened to me now would have never happened the same way."

Sakura nodded, taking in his words. Naruto smiled and explained, "I wouldn't have met Sasuke-Teme the way I first met him. I wouldn't have met Kakashi-sensei or Bushy Brows or Neji and even Hinata. I'd probably be in a different situation."

Snapping out of her thoughts, Sakura continued to scrub the cheek again.

Sometimes, she wondered how her life would've been if her parents never died. What if they never moved out of Konoha? What if there was never a Haruno Clan? What if she never met Itachi, Shisui, Genma, Naruto, Sasuke, or Kakashi? What if she never became Tsunade's apprentice or met Shizune and her?

Smiling to herself, Sakura knew one thing. She was glad to be where she was. She was content with being in Konoha. It was a place, full of such old emotions that she had locked away. It was a bright, warm-feeling village.

"Oi, Sakura-chan, hurry up!" Shisui scolded. Sakura looked up to see him peering down at her. He looked so far away yet he was actually close to her. Sakura smirked and shouted, "Yes, sir!"

Shisui arched his brows in confusion as Sakura went back to work, scrubbing faster than ever. Walking towards Itachi who was sitting in the shade underneath a tree, Shisui commented, "Sakura-chan's being weird, Itachi."

Glancing up at his cousin, Itachi questioned, "How is that, Shisui?"

Dropping onto the ground next to Itachi, Shisui explained, "I told her to hurry up and she just complied like it was nothing."

"Probably because it was nothing," Itachi muttered, shutting his eyes. Shisui shook his head and exclaimed, "I was hoping for her to snap back at me."

"So you could purposely drop a bucket of water onto her again?" Itachi inquired with his eyes still closed. Shisui scowled at the younger cousin and muttered, "No."

Flopping onto his back, Shisui asked, "You know, I don't really understand how this war with Kumo even began." Itachi opened his dark eyes, positioned with his back to the tree.

"Several Konoha squads were severely ambushed. Kumo has joined forces with Orochimaru and his Sound minions. There was the Hyuga incident with Kabuto," Itachi exemplified. Shisui looked at Itachi and responded, "I know, but there has to be a way to settle issues in a calm manner."

"It is best to not send an ambassador to Kumo yet," Itachi informed and reasoned, "The ambassador would be under great danger."

Shisui shrugged and replied, "Well, I didn't say for Konoha to send an ambassador. I just think the Hokage and Raikage should personally settle issues so that we can coexist in peace."

Itachi closed his eyes, drifting into his silent thoughts.

Konoha and Kumo were at war. There wasn't really an accurate reason as to why this war began. Was there something that the Kumo didn't like about the negotiated treaty and decided to attack innocent Konoha shinobis within their territory? Or was it something else, something more complex and in depth?

Perhaps there was an outside force influencing the Kumo which in return caused the war to break out? If there was, then _who_ was it and _why_?

Opening his eyes to the sound of Shisui and Sakura arguing, Itachi stared at the setting sun. It would be night in a couple hours and Sakura would have to be finished cleaning soon.

Staring at the trees across from him, Itachi mused about his correct theory. Uchiha Madara was still alive. What was he planning this very second? Did the old Uchiha have a part in the war between Kumo and Konoha?

Standing up, Itachi walked over to Shisui who rallied, "Sakura-chan, you can do it because you're Sa-ku-ra-chan!" Sakura glanced up at Shisui and muttered, "Ugh, Shisui, I wish you would stop. Do you really have to be here?"

She looked back at Tsunade's stone-carved face and scrubbed even faster. She wouldn't fail. She was the apprentice of Tsunade, a sannin. And she wouldn't let Shisui have the chance to rub her failure in her face.

* * *

"Oi, you two, I'm done. Pull this thing up!" Sakura shouted, dropping the scrub and towel into the bucket before she gripped the rail securely.

"Right away, Miss," Shisui replied happily as he began to pull the platform along with Sakura up. Sakura walked off the platform and dropped the bucket onto the grass as she stared at Itachi.

"I finished just before the sun could melt into the horizon," Sakura informed, dusting her dark cargo capris. She patted her dark t-shirt and stared at her dirty hands.

"Wow," Sakura stated, mesmerized by the filthy sight. Itachi neared her and stated, "Go wash your hands over there, Sakura."

Sakura glanced at him and nodded before walking to the barrel-like container full of water. Washing her hands, Sakura felt a cool towel tossed onto her head. Turning around to look at Itachi, Sakura smiled and said, "Thanks, Itachi."

Turning back to help Shisui put away the metal platform, Itachi praised, "Good job, Sakura." He walked off to Shisui who was now dragging the metal object into the nearby shed. Sakura smiled again before wiping her face with the cool and clean towel.

Letting her hair cascade down to her shoulders, Sakura walked towards the two older teammates. Shisui stepped aside as Itachi locked the shed and proclaimed, "Sakura-chan, let's go eat ramen as a celebration!"

Sakura crossed her arms and stated, "Why does it have to be ramen?"

Before Shisui could answer, Naruto shouted, "Because you never got the chance to eat with us at night, Sakura-chan!" Sakura turned around to look at a happy Naruto followed by a stoic Sasuke, reading Kakashi and a nodding Genma.

"So what do you say, Sakura?" Genma inquired with one side of his lips quirked up. Sakura smiled and replied, "Sure."

Naruto jumped, shooting his fists into the air as he declared, "Yay, Sakura-chan finally gets to eat with us!" The blond ninja grabbed Sasuke and Kakashi, dragging them with him as Shisui and Genma followed closely.

Sakura turned around to look at Itachi and questioned, "Aren't you coming, Itachi?"

He was staring at the fading horizon and shifted his head to set his dark stare on her. Sakura waved at him again and asked, "Are you coming to eat ramen with us?"

Itachi shook his head, opening his mouth to decline when Sakura rushed over to grab his arm with her two soft hands and answered, "Of course, you are, Itachi. After all, we _are_ celebrating my first and successful task. Since you're my trainer, you have to come."

Itachi sighed quietly as she dragged him with her, forcing him to go.

* * *

"Ah, Sakura-chan, isn't this great?" Naruto asked, patting his stomach. Staring at him incredulously, Sakura responded, "Yeah, the ramen was awesome, Naruto. I'm kind of curious though. How do you manage to eat so much ramen like that?"

Kakashi chuckled at her question and Sasuke answered, "Dobe's life is all about ramen." Setting his chopsticks down, Genma added, "It's quite simple, Sakura. No ramen. No Naruto. He can't exist without ramen."

Shisui snickered and Naruto defended, "That's not true! I _can _survive without ramen! Don't listen to them, Sakura-chan; they're crazy."

Sakura shook her head at their little bicker and turned back to her own food. Sitting next to Sakura and Shisui, Itachi informed, "I will take my leave first."

Itachi got up, paying his share and left. Sasuke watched him leave and soon got up, leaving his money on the counter next to his bowl as he chased after Itachi. Naruto muttered something about Sasuke wanting to talk to Itachi.

Sakura smiled as she imagined Itachi and Sasuke together, walking hand in hand. Although, it was a bit hard for her to imagine the two Uchiha brothers smiling because she had never seen them actually smile.

Shortly later, Sakura got up and said, "Well, I should get going. It's getting late." She pulled out some money to pay for her food, but Shisui beat her to it and stated, "Don't worry, Sakura. I got it."

Confused, Sakura looked at Shisui who explained, "You brought Itachi. Just think of it as me repaying a favor." Sakura nodded hesitantly before waving goodbye and heading to her apartment.

* * *

Entering her apartment, Sakura stopped halfway through the threshold. Sensing a familiar chakra presence, Sakura tried to remember whose it was. There was someone in her living room, she knew that for sure.

Sakura shut the door, strutted into the living room with a kunai and flicked it at the sitting figure. The cloaked shinobi faded into thin air as the kunai pierced into the couch. Sakura stared at the person as he or she appeared in front of the large window.

"Who are you?" Sakura demanded, whipping out another kunai.

Sliding off the dark hood, Tobi held up two hands and pleaded, "Ne, don't kill me. I didn't do anything wrong." Sakura stared at the childish, masked man and asked, "What are you doing here, Tobi?"

Leaning against the wall next to the window, Tobi answered in the familiar deep voice, "I came to tell you that it's beginning, Sakura." Sakura narrowed her emerald eyes at the masked man.

"What do you mean, Tobi?" Sakura inquired. What was beginning?

"He's making his move," Tobi stated. Sakura knew well who he was talking about. She phrased, "Madara? What's he planning to do now?"

Tobi shook his head and responded, "I cannot tell you that." Sakura crossed her arms and remarked, "And why should I believe you?"

"Because I work with Madara, Sakura; we work in the same organization," Tobi informed in the deep voice. Sakura sat on a stool and inquired, "Okay, so if you can't tell me _his_ plans. Then, tell me why you decided to inform me of all this? Tell me _your_ plans."

Chuckling, the mature Tobi stated, "Like I told you four years ago, Sakura. A clan will fall and with its fall, blood will be shed."

Sakura nodded and muttered, "Yeah, well, I haven't figured that out yet. I suppose you won't tell me." Nodding, Tobi exclaimed, "Do not tell anyone of our meeting- this is for your sake unless you want to be suspected of being a spy and possibly be sentenced to death. I will come back later with explanations."

Sakura stood up abruptly as Tobi added, "One last thing, Sakura, keep an eye on the younger Uchiha." Sakura questioned, "Sasuke? Why him? Is there something wrong?"

Tobi simply waved and disappeared into the swirl. Sakura bolted for the door, searching for Sasuke. She just needed to see if he was okay.

* * *

Turning a corner, Sakura scanned for Sasuke and then turned another corner as she spotted Sasuke departing Itachi's side. Itachi disappeared, leaving him alone. Rushing to Sasuke, Sakura smiled and asked, "Sasuke, how are you doing tonight?"

Staring at Sakura, Sasuke replied, "I'm doing fine." Sakura nodded, walking with him. She hadn't planned what to do after she found Sasuke. There was a moment of awkwardness.

Sasuke could feel Sakura's presence lingering next to him. Was she following him? Did she happen to hear his conversation with Itachi?

Sakura snuck a glance at Sasuke and questioned, "Ne, Sasuke, is there anything on your mind?" Sasuke stopped and stared at Sakura before saying, "No, there isn't. Why do you ask, Sakura?"

Sakura motioned for him to continue walking before she explained, "I don't know. It just seems like you've been really spaced out lately, especially since the mission to Kumo. You're quieter than usual. So, I figured that there was something on your mind."

Sasuke remained expressionless. Sakura was onto him. He would have to keep his guard up when he was around her. It seemed like she wasn't as dense as Naruto.

"It was nothing. I was just tired that week," Sasuke lied. Sakura pursed her lips, thinking.

"Sakura, I'm going to go home," Sasuke stated, staring at her. His eyes were dark like Itachi's. Sakura found herself comparing the two brothers and slapped herself mentally. Sakura exclaimed, "Oh, that's okay. I'll just walk you to your house."

Sasuke shook his head and defied, "No, it's okay. You don't need to, Sakura."

Sakura didn't want to let him out of her sight. After Tobi's warning, Sakura felt compelled to keep an eye on him. Sasuke had become an important person to her now. She didn't want to see him in harm's way.

"Okay, then, have a good night, Sasuke," Sakura wished, hesitant. For some reason, she had a gut feeling that he wasn't going to go home and stay put.

Sasuke nodded and vanished, leaving Sakura alone. Suspecting, Sakura cloaked her chakra, trailed after Sasuke and made sure to keep her distance from him.

* * *

Sakura hid in the tall trees that bordered the Uchiha district, watching Sasuke weave his way through the Uchiha district and enter his house. He was inside for a good period of time but exited the quiet house. Confused, Sakura watched him intently as he left the Uchiha district and headed towards the Main Gate.

What was he planning? He wasn't going on a mission. Sakura would have known about it because Naruto would be complaining about it.

Quickly traveling through the trees, Sakura chased after his chakra signature. Stopping, Sakura dropped onto the ground and hid behind a tree as Sasuke walked past her. He was nearing the unprotected gate.

Sakura wondered why he wasn't stopping. Why was he heading towards the gate, walking casually as if it was nothing to him? Sakura revealed her chakra and watched as Sasuke ceased moving.

"Sakura," Sasuke stated in a cold voice. Sakura felt the hair on her arm raise. She stepped out from behind the tree and asked, "Sasuke, where are you going?"

Glancing over his shoulder, Sasuke smirked and questioned, "What does it look like I'm doing, Sakura?" Sakura stated, "You're leaving."

Sasuke looked away and continued to walk as if she wasn't a threat. Sakura took several steps and ordered, "Sasuke, stop. If you leave, do you know what you'll become?"

Sasuke stopped in the middle of his tracks and said, "A missing-nin."

"Why would you want to become a missing-nin?" Sakura questioned, walking closer to him. She wasn't going to let him leave just like that. She was going to make him stay.

"Konoha is no use to me, Sakura. I've thought about this so many times and I've come to realize that what I need-what I want- is beyond these walls of Konoha. I need power," Sasuke explained. Sakura stopped moving and demanded, "So, you're just going to offer yourself to Orochimaru, aren't you?"

Sasuke looked at Sakura and answered, "No, I'm not offering myself to him. I'm going to obtain power from him." Sakura stared at him sadly and advised, "Sasuke, you can obtain power through so many different ways. Why don't you just stay in Konoha?"

"You don't understand, Sakura," Sasuke declared, walking as he continued, "You don't know what it feels like to live in a person's shadow, to be expected to be a genius. You just don't know because you have no one."

Sakura took in a sharp breath before agreeing, "You're right. I don't have anyone but you do. You have Naruto and Kakashi. If they're not enough, you have me, Sasuke."

Sasuke stopped and inquired, "I need someone who is willing to do anything I say. Are you willing to become that person?"

Sakura shook her head and stated, "No, but I can be the person you need in times of distress and sorrow. I can't be the person who will act at your will though." Sasuke nodded and muttered, "That's what I thought."

Sasuke continued to walk and Sakura quickly closed in the tiny distance, grabbing his hand as she stated, "Sasuke, you can't go. You'll be leaving your family behind along with your friends."

Sasuke peered into her lively jade eyes. They were so determined, so fresh and full of life. Sometimes, he wished he could be as strong as her, strong enough to stick to his own will. But his will was torn apart by the expectations of the elders and his clan.

Sasuke pulled Sakura into a hug and said, "Thank you, Sakura."

Sakura softened at his sincere words, surprised from the sudden hug. Sasuke quickly pulled away from Sakura, gently striking a sensitive spot on her neck.

"Sasuke," Sakura said in a ghostly whisper before she fell into a state of unconsciousness. Sasuke caught her and said, "Take her home, Itachi."

Appearing, Itachi walked towards him and replied, "Of course, Sasuke." Itachi gently pried Sakura away from Sasuke, moving her onto his back with Sasuke's help.

Standing with Sakura clutched to his back, Itachi wished, "Sasuke, be careful."

Looking at Itachi, Sasuke replied, "I will. Don't worry." Sasuke disappeared, heading to Orochimaru.

Itachi sighed in distress. He had really hoped that Sasuke wouldn't accept the mission and leave Konoha, faking to be a missing-nin. Now, it was beginning. Sasuke would find Orochimaru, train under him, kill him and come back to Konoha alive. He had to come back.

Itachi feared for his younger brother. For now, Itachi would have to protect Sakura. Deep inside, he felt a twinge of failure; he had failed to protect Sasuke from the older generation of powerful shinobis. And now, Sasuke was under their command just like he was years ago.

Walking towards Sakura's apartment, Itachi mumbled, "Kami-sama, watch over him and bring him home safe."

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Of Lies and Secrets"**

**PLEASE REVIEW:)**

* * *

A/N: What do you think? Review :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Of Lies and Secrets**

* * *

***Chapter 13: Obito**

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**NORMAL POV: **

**3 years ago…**

Smirking, the man with blonde bangs covering his eyes proclaimed, "KATSU!" He was standing on his large white bird, gazing intently at the orange-masked man who was attacked by the small clay bombs. The battle field soon erupted with a loud boom as smoke fogged all over the place.

Deidara stared at the tattered pieces of Tobi's Akatsuki cloak. That should teach the masked man to not pester him. "Hn," Deidara grunted before saying, "Tobi, I told you to not bother me." The annoying, child-like man was dead from what Deidara concluded.

Deidara fled back to the Akatsuki hideout, sitting on the white bird as it flew away. He didn't feel a single trace of guilt for killing Tobi.

A few minutes later, Tobi appeared from the swirl. He was lying on the ground as he sat up and exclaimed, "Who's there?" He whipped his head back and forth in a childish manner.

"Obito, don't play dumb," Madara stated. He was standing in the dark shadows, leaning against a tree. Dusting his pants, Obito said in his normal deep voice, "Ah, Madara, you never were one for games, were you?"

"Why do you let him beat you?" Madara questioned and added, "You're babying him." Tobi, who was really Obito, said, "It's fun to see his expression when I walk back into the hideout alive."

Madara shook his head and proclaimed, "I did not save you and place you into the Akatsuki just to have fun, Obito. Remember that you are to extract the Nine Tails when the time comes."

Staring at Madara, the masked Obito questioned, "What about the girl?" A while ago, Madara had informed him of the Haruno power and the last survivor who supposedly possessed the power that he sought after.

"Do not worry; I will get the girl," Madara stated. Only he could use the power. He would not allow anyone to prevent him from attaining pure immortality. Once he was fully immortal, he would use the gathered bijuus and commence his revenge.

Obito followed Madara into the dark forest as Madara said a loud, "Damn Mebuki for lying to me. All these years, I've been searching for a scroll when I should've been looking for the girl. She has the power sealed within her."

Obito narrowed his eyes, thankful for the mask as he said, "And how long should I keep on pretending to be you?" Madara chuckled dryly and questioned, "Aren't you happy to be me, the great founder of the Uchiha Clan? After all, I am your superior, Uchiha Obito."

Obito shook his masked face and clarified, "Of course, I am content with working for you, but I was curious as to how long you will wait until making your move, Madara-sama."

Madara shook his head and answered, "Not yet, Obito. The timing is not right. Go back to the hideout. I will find you when I need to." Obito nodded and vanished.

Madara continued to walk in darkness. He didn't need the light to know where he was going. Everything he did was clouded and hidden by the darkness. He was one with the darkness, born under the curse of hatred.

Staring at a leafless tree, Madara set his hand onto a slender branch and crushed it between his palms as he threatened grimly, "Once I find you Haruno Sakura, only then will I be able to seek revenge on the Uchiha." His hatred for the Uchiha Clan only grew stronger as years passed.

* * *

**Present…**

Wandering around the silent village, Sakura thought about Sasuke and sighed. It had been a week since his departure for Orochimaru. She couldn't believe that he was gone but she had to. The night Sasuke was leaving, she fell unconscious and somehow woke up in her room the next morning. She found a note from Itachi saying that he found her lying on a bench.

And now that she thought about Itachi, she felt bad for him. His younger brother, whom he dearly cared for, was now gone and decided to be a missing-nin. Not to mention that the Uchiha Clan was furious; they had asked for the Hokage's approval to send them on a mission to retrieve Sasuke but Tsunade had rejected the request. She reasoned that if the missing-nin hunters found Sasuke, they would bring him to Konoha for inspection and then execution. So there was no need to endanger their lives.

Kicking a pebble, Sakura shoved her hands into her pockets and remembered the village's reaction to the news of Sasuke's disappearance. Ino was crying her eyes out since it was officially declared that if Sasuke was caught, he would be brought to Konoha and executed.

Naruto was sad and shocked all together mixed with disappointment. He was one of the people asking for a grant to go and retrieve Sasuke. After the rejection, he locked himself in his apartment for a week. Fortunately, Jiraiya managed to persuade Naruto to come out of his place. Hinata was worried for both Naruto and Sasuke.

Genma and Shisui were stunned that Sasuke would go that far. The two were concerned about Itachi who remained collective as usual. He was expressionless. There wasn't a hint of sorrow or anger from the older Uchiha. He just continued to work like Sasuke never left but most people just figured that he was hiding his pain. However, what they didn't know was that Itachi and Tsunade were the only ones who knew why Sasuke had really left. He was on an undercover mission to kill Orochimaru.

Heading to the training grounds where the rest of the team was except for Sasuke, Sakura pondered silently about whether she should tell them that she met Sasuke the night he was going to leave. Thinking of the consequences, Sakura decided to keep quiet and leave that night unspoken.

"Sakura-chan, how are you today?" Shisui asked, appearing next to her side. Sakura looked at the Uchiha and muttered, "Tch, trying to get on my good side now, aren't you, Shisui?" Shisui laughed and questioned, "Why would I need to get on your good side when I'm already on your good side, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura arched her brows at him. He really believed that he was on her good side after what happened yesterday?

Yesterday, she was on another training task with Itachi and Shisui. They were out in the countryside of Konoha where Sakura had to clean up a mud swamp. Apparently, some rebellious teenagers decided to eat and litter their garbage all over the mud. It turns out that the mud swamp was a source for the mud used in natural spa treatment.

While she was picking up the trash, Shisui accidently bumped into her which caused her to stumble into the mud, face first. From then on, Sakura planned to dump him into the mud as soon as she finished cleaning the area first. Too bad for her though because she never got the chance to get back at him.

"As of yesterday, you're not on my good side, Shisui," Sakura exclaimed, walking to Naruto who was picking at the ground using a twig. After Sasuke left, Naruto was less energetic and more depressed. Sakura tried to keep him busy most of the times, entertaining him as much as she could.

* * *

Rushing towards Sakura with a Rasengan spiraling in his right hand, Naruto charged at Sakura who noticed Naruto's slow pace and grabbed Naruto's wrist, directing his Rasengan into the tree. The tree broke in half as Sakura stood with her hand gripping Naruto's wrist, unscathed.

"Naruto, you're too slow," Sakura stated, glancing at her hold on his wrist. He was too easy to defeat. He lacked attention and energy. Naruto simply nodded, removing his dull blue eyes from Sakura as he turned around to walk back to Kakashi and the others.

Kakashi sighed, putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder as he said, "Naruto, why don't we go out for some ramen?" Naruto gazed up at the masked jonin, shook his head and mumbled, "I'm going to go home now."

Sakura watched as Naruto walked away with his shoulders slightly hunched. He missed Sasuke like crazy. He missed Sasuke so much that he wasn't himself anymore. He wasn't the smiling, talkative and bubbly Naruto anymore. He was sulkier, quieter and broody. He was sad and full of despair.

He even _rejected_ ramen, his favorite food in the entire shinobi universe.

Kakashi shook his head and said, "I don't know how long Naruto's going to be like this." When Kakashi had heard about Sasuke's disappearance, he was shocked but still, he wouldn't let it affect him. Then again, Naruto and he had different bonds with Sasuke. He was Sasuke's teacher and Naruto was a friend-almost brother- to Sasuke.

* * *

"Tsunade, let me take him with me," Jiraiya stated. He watched as Tsunade crossed her arms over her large chest. Tsunade glared at the teammate's lingering stare. Jiraiya shifted his stare back onto her young face.

"Fine, Jiraiya, just make sure to bring him back in one piece," Tsunade muttered. She knew that this was the best option for Naruto since the Akatsuki were on the move again. Naruto needed to take his mind off of Sasuke anyways.

Jiraiya smiled and said, "Oh, don't worry, Tsunade. He'll come back even stronger." Tsunade nodded and mused to herself how strong Naruto was going to become. He probably already surpassed his father by now.

Jiraiya headed for the door and stated, "We'll be leaving tonight; the sooner we find Bee, the better. Naruto's already learned Sage Mode. All he needs to know is how to control the nine tails."

"You'll be in Kumo territory, you know that, right?" Tsunade warned. Jiraiya nodded and said, "We'll find Bee and train in secrecy, Tsunade. I've met him before and we've come to an agreement that this is best for Naruto."

Tsunade sighed as the perverted sannin disappeared to Naruto. Staring out the window, Tsunade pondered about Sakura. What was Sakura going to do now? Sasuke was out on a secret mission and who knew how long until he'd come back. Naruto was going to train again.

Sakura would just have to stay with Itachi's ANBU team and Tsunade would just send Kakashi out on solo missions.

* * *

The sun was setting as Sakura rushed over the rooftops, searching for Naruto. Tsunade had informed her of Naruto's training and after that, Sakura bolted out the door to see Naruto one last time before he left. She wasn't sure how long it would take for him to return.

Naruto and Jiraiya were ready to set off for Bee in the land of lightning when all of a sudden a chakra flared. Sensing the familiar chakra, Naruto turned around to stare at a huffing Sakura who marched over and hugged him.

"Naruto, you were going to leave without saying goodbye?" Sakura demanded as she tried to remove herself from him but Naruto tightened the hug. He was staring at the Hokage monument. He didn't want to look at Sakura, afraid that he might just change his mind and stay in Konoha but he couldn't. He couldn't stay in Konoha and let Sasuke move farther and farther away from him. He was going to get stronger and save Sasuke.

"Sakura-chan, I was going to tell you but I decided not to because I will come back," Naruto stated. Sakura pressed her lips into a thin line as she said softly, "I'm going to miss you, Naruto."

Naruto pulled back, beaming as he declared, "Sakura-chan, don't worry about Sasuke and me. I'll be stronger by the time I return and then, we both can go save Sasuke-Teme together."

Sakura smiled and agreed, "I'd like to do that, Naruto." Naruto smiled, waving goodbye before he and Jiraiya vanished. She just stood in front of the open gates, watching as the sun set.

What was she going to do now? There was no Team 7 to return to now. Team 7 for the time being was on a hiatus. They had all gone their own ways.

Hearing a cough, Sakura turned around to look at Genma, Shisui and Itachi. Genma had his lips quirked up as Shisui stated, "Sakura-chan, come hang out with us." Itachi nodded, signaling his agreement.

Staring silently at the ANBU squad, Sakura felt her eyes beginning to get watery. She turned around and blinked back the tears. A few traitorous tears escaped and slid down her cheek before she could stop it. Sakura wiped her eyes using her palms.

Her casted shadow portrayed every move she made while wiping her tears away. Genma was feeling uncomfortable just staring at the shadow that mimicked Sakura's movement as she cried quietly.

The ANBU squad looked at the silent Sakura who had her back to them as she tried to subtly wipe her tears away. Unsure of how to handle the touchy situation, Genma nodded for Shisui to comfort the crying girl. Shisui glared at Genma and pointed at Itachi as he mouthed the word 'captain'.

Shisui and Genma looked up at the towering Itachi who had caught onto their silent conversation. Shisui smiled slyly before he pushed Itachi towards the lonesome Sakura.

Walking towards Sakura, Itachi groaned inwardly. Even though he was a prodigy, he wasn't sure of how to handle this situation. He wasn't that skilled when it came to crying women but he never backed down from a challenge. That was simply his nature.

Sakura sniffled, looking at the sun set. Standing next to the quiet pink-haired woman, Itachi stated, "In times like this, it's best to have someone to talk to, Sakura." Sakura glanced at Itachi and mulled whether Itachi was trying to imply that he was willing to be that 'someone.'

"Team 7 will come back together," Itachi said and added, "Once the ripples have smoothened and the lake is calm, only then can you distinguish what truly lies before you, Sakura."

Sakura removed her stare from him and muttered, "So, you're telling me to not worry and just wait for them to come back."

"No, I'm telling you that things aren't as bad as they seem," Itachi corrected and Sakura nodded, turning around to look at the waiting Shisui and Genma. Itachi placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder and said, "We shouldn't keep them waiting any longer."

Sakura laughed and muttered, "Right, Shisui's a bit impatient, isn't he?" Hearing her remark, Shisui defended, "Hey, I'm not that impatient." Inside, he was relieved to see Sakura back to normal.

Sakura smiled and Genma was glad that she wasn't crying anymore because if she still was, he wasn't sure how long he could stand it. A crying Sakura wasn't something that he was used to. He was more adapted to the happy or angry Sakura.

* * *

After talking with them and eating dinner together, Sakura walked back to her apartment. So many things were happening. First, Sasuke's disappearance and now Naruto's departure for Bee; what was going to happen next?

Entering her apartment, Sakura stopped as the door clicked shut behind her. Tobi was back. She had ingrained his chakra signature into the smart brain of hers. Walking casually towards a chair, Sakura greeted, "Tobi." She sat down, facing him boldly. If she was going to get somewhere, she'd try a civilized attempt first before using force if necessary.

"Ah, you've picked up my chakra presence?" Tobi asked in the deep voice. Sakura shrugged and questioned, "Are you going to finally tell me what's going on?"

Tobi stepped out from the shadow and placed himself next to the window, gazing out. Konoha still looked the same asides from a few minor changes. It felt like he had been gone from Konoha for a while. After years of masquerading as Madara, Tobi found it reasonable to feel 'old.' Madara was supposed to be dead and so was he. If only he had died under that boulder.

Staring at the sitting Sakura, Tobi stated, "Where should I start?" He was going to need Sakura for his plan. She happened to be a key piece, not a pawn. Perhaps, she was the queen of his plan?

Sakura suggested, "How did you meet Madara?" It was usually best to start from the beginning.

Tobi cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. If he told her how he met Madara, then that would mean that he'd have to reveal his true identity. He considered the fact that he was trying to win her onto his side and subtly prevent her from aiding Madara.

"I happen to not be Tobi," Obito stated. Sakura arched her brows as she hesitantly nodded, not buying his statement. "I'm serious, Sakura. My name is Uchiha Obito," Obito said and added, "Tobi is just a cover name for me in the Akatsuki."

"And what does your real name have to do with your first meeting with Madara, _Obito_," Sakura questioned. Okay, so what _if_ he really was the Uchiha Obito? From what she heard, he had died during the Third Shinobi World War. Narrowing her jade eyes, Sakura added, "If you're really Obito, then shouldn't you be dead?"

Nodding, Obito explained, "I should be, shouldn't I? On a mission to destroy the Kannabi Bridge with my team, I was crushed underneath a bolder."

Sakura nodded, she had heard of the Kannabi Bridge and the enemies' purpose using the bridge to transport supplies during the Third Shinobi World War.

"So you were crushed underneath a boulder? Then, Madara just magically appeared and rescued you?" Sakura phrased. She wasn't sure how this made sense but hopefully, it would later on.

"After the cave-in, I was lying unconscious near one of Madara's tunnels. It was then that he found me and nurtured me back to health," Obito stated. Sakura stared at him, letting the information sink as she inquired, "If you're an Uchiha, you must be from Konoha? Who were your teammates?"

"Nohara Rin and Hatake Kakashi," Obito stated and added, "We were known as Team Minato."

Sakura stared at the masked man before her. Here she was, talking to one of Kakashi's supposed-to-be-dead teammates, as she hoped to learn something about Madara. Who she didn't know was Nohara Rin. Who was she?

Shifting his head so that he could peer out the window, Obito explained, "Rin was our teammate but she died during the Third War." Sakura stared at the thinking Obito. He seemed lost in his thoughts even though she couldn't see his face.

"She was your teammate? How did she die?" Sakura questioned. Obito turned his head to stare at her as he said, "You should be asking Kakashi that. I believe he should have the proper answer to your question." Sakura nodded, knowing that she had hit a touchy subject. She'd have to ask Kakashi some time later or just figure it out herself. Probably the latter though since Obito had reacted like that, then it was probably a touchy topic for Kakashi too.

"Okay, so, I know how you met Madara now," Sakura stated. What else was there? She knew there were plenty more to ask but she just didn't know what to ask. Staring at him again, Sakura said, "You know, I still can't decipher that little riddle you were talking about."

Obito replied, "Because it is not time yet, girl." Sakura scowled as her green eyes shone with determination as she pondered about the riddle. He found himself being reminded of Rin when she was thinking hard about something. Kami-sama, how much he missed her. He wanted to see her bright smiling face even if it were for a second.

Deciding to visit the memorial before he left Konoha, Obito informed, "I shall leave now." Sakura looked up at the masked man and smiled before saying, "Ah, yeah, go ahead."

Obito nodded curtly before he vanished, leaving Sakura to continue pondering alone.

* * *

Appearing at the memorial site, Obito kept his chakra cloaked when he noticed Kakashi standing there as the moon beamed at the glossy black object that was full of engraved names. Kakashi traced a finger over a name before he disappeared, leaving the flowers there.

Obito smiled unconsciously at the sight of Kakashi leaving flowers there. He wasn't the type to just leave flowers lying around. Judging from the other times that he had visited the memorial site and found a bouquet of flowers lying there, Obito assumed that Kakashi was the one leaving the mysterious flowers.

It was Rin's favorite flowers, too. Approaching the now-empty site, Obito silently prayed and thought about Rin. What was she doing now? Was she happy? Could she see him? Was she watching them, shaking her head at the trouble they had gotten themselves into now?

Obito glanced down at the flowers before he thought about Kakashi. The only person he had considered as his rival. The only person who would kill him.

* * *

**Stay Tuned for Another Chapter of...**

**"Of Lies and Secrets"**

**PLEASE REVIEW :) **

* * *

A/N: This chapter mainly revolved around Obito and his past. **Review please** ;)


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